Promise
by anamesis
Summary: Perhaps when we meet again, I will be able to say those words to you. Until then, this promise I pledge to you, dead and undying I will walk all of eternity, in search of you... Type-moon Crossover
1. Prologue

**Promise**

A long time ago I made a promise. Under a dark sky; upon a star that cast its light into the oblivion. We pledged with weeping hearts to meet again, at the doorsteps to eternity. It is a promise I will keep, no matter what it costs me.

We smiled, knowing the trials ahead would be hard. With ardent wills we turned our backs to each other, rushing into the chaos. That last fleeting glance, the last memory I hold before the darkness.

We made the right decisions, or ones we thought were the best. There is no turning back now; those words held tightly on my lips have yet to be spoken. So far away, yet so close, this mortal heart can't hold it in anymore. A fleeting thought before the end, and the unshed tear falls, and the future inscribed in stone is written anew by human hands.

Perhaps when we meet again, I will be able to say those words to you. Until then, this promise I pledge to you, dead and undying I will walk all of eternity, in search of you...

**Land of Steel**

The cracked sky rumbled, dark clouds covering the crimson sky. This place of death; abandoned by those who wrought its end. Forsaken by those forced to live upon it; a dying place in the thralls of agony. Perhaps it was fate, coincidence perhaps, or some other machination of this world that has yet to be defined. In the broken world, its design was fulfilled, and as the dying world breathed its last breath, it awoke.

That piercing roar of pain: so unlike anything I have ever heard before. Revelling in the absolute destruction and chaos in which it was birthed. The dark womb in which it had been formed a sullen corpse devoid of life.

I fall down towards the corpse of this world, falling past iron angels. Between rifts in the clouds I see it, a one winged angel…so beautiful. I smile remembering a room; nothing was left except my sister's old guitar, and the fake angel…

**Heaven's Feel**

In the dead of night; in a darkened room lit by nought but the pale moonlight cast through pale drapes. I stare up at the dark ceiling, _how many days has it been?_ _How many days has it been since my life lost all meaning. _I can still picture him in my mind, that smiling face I love so much. The raven haired girl next to me frets ever so slightly in her sleep, her pale hands clenching onto silky fabric. I hold on to her, she who feels my pain more than I can ever know. But in the end I let go, my pain is my own.

I step quietly across wooden floor, glancing back at her sleeping form I smile. "Good night Rin-" I stop myself, "no, good night nee-san."

I turn away, this pain in my chest ready to burst out; I can't hold it back anymore. In the garden of flowers I fall down to my knees. The unshed tears falling down my face, draining me tell I'm nearly spent. A pale sun rises over the horizon, casting its rays across the morning sky. I touch my stomach, the last gift I had received, in a few months… I feel the tears starting again. A familiar presence stands behind me, a witness to pain but outside of it. My pain is my own, _but it hurts so much, why does it hurt so much?_

**Wish**

A dream, yes a sweet dream I wish would go on forever. With every waking moment I remember them, lives outside of my own. The knight returns again, empty hands revealing that the task has finally been completed.

"Be proud of thyself, you have obeyed my orders."

I stare up at the green canopy, dark leaves falling seemingly from the heavens. I close my eyes for a moment, a dream I desperately want to continue awaits me.

"My slumber this time might be a bit long…"

Even as I feel the world lose its brilliance, a voice rang out in the darkness. "Do you behold, King Arthur, The continuation to your dream?"

**Fate**

This pain, it hurts too much, I can't stand it, and it hurts. That smiling face; a mask shown to all, to give us all false hope, perhaps that's what I need…hope. But there is no hope, I can see it in her eyes, every time she looks at me she almost says goodbye for the last time. I can see it in her lingering gaze, knowledge beyond her years; I can even see it in that brave face she puts up. So I want to be there, when she gives her last act of defiance, and stares death right in the face. I will be there to hold her hand, I tell her it's alright, even though its not. I will be there…

I stare at her pale face; she smiles weakly staring up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry Shirou, I can't hold on any longer." She turns her head, pale hair swept out of her face, "I will never forget you, good bye…" her bright eyes grow dark, and heavy lids close.

I stare at her, and feel the tears start, I try to hold them back but I can't. And then I hear something that makes my heart want to break, "…never forget me okay." She stares at me with unseeing eyes, that cheerful smile on her face.

The tears won't stop, will my voice to be calm, "yeah, I will never forget." She smiles, closing her eyes for the last time.

**Unlimited Blade Works**

I clench the ruby jewel in my hands; I can feel the edges cutting into my skin. I remember my selfish actions, those actions I took to save a life. And then that action affected the future, in which the boy I saved became a man. And I fell in love, I fell in love with someone that is now gone.

I can still feel his warmth, a presence I found so comforting. He wasn't supposed to mean anything to me, just a tool, a means to achieve something greater. Then somewhere along the way I lost myself, lost in a hopeless dream I so desperately wish to achieve.

A hopeless dream I still wish to achieve…

**Hollow Ataraxia**

I stare up at the failing world, a crack in a greater design threatening to swallow us whole. She looks at me, asking me to stay, something I wish I could do. But this is the end for me; I cannot remain in a world like this. I smile, even as the world around us falls apart, and make a wish, _too our fate._ Even as we run towards are chosen fate, the grail shatters, and I'm blinded by the brilliance.

It was quiet; she lies in her bed sleeping quietly. I gently stroke soft hair out of her peaceful face. Placing a completed puzzle on the table I say good bye, giving up this dream for her.

**Tsukihime**

In this castle of stone, upon her empty throne I sit. Chains of light wrapping around my pale form, turning into cold steel, I feel the stinging metallic pain. Somewhere in my mind, I detest going to sleep, but I smile. This time there is a dream I look forwards too, a selfish dream about a loved one. I stare at the darkened hall one last time, before I close my eyes. And revel in the wonder that is a dream, where I am free at last.

**Daylight Blue**

I stare down at his pale face; I feel the tears falling down my face. I try to hold them back, cut off these human emotions that cause so much pain. But I cant, I can't forget that face, I can't do that to him, I can't just cast him aside like everything else. I will give him a dream, a dream before the end, that's all I can do.

Please Shiki, accept this dream, it's not much, but it will ease the passing. I can't hold back the tears any longer, not when he opens those eyes and smiles. "It's not fun lying to yourself," he says those words, accepting his end calmly. I feel the pressure in my heart, and I feel as if I will break. And then he closes his eyes, and dreams of the sunshine.

**Distant Read Warbler**

She stands still, the autumn leaves swaying in the wind around her. Those blank eyes, searching for something. I walk towards her, by some flash of recognition her head turns. I smile, and almost feel my heart stop, "Shiki." She plays with the word, sounding it out like a child. Those blank eyes looking out unseeing, yet somehow focused on his face. "Shiki…" I see the faintest of smiles on her face, and I hold her close.

**Dreams of Sunshine**

Kohaku, that's the name they say, is mine, but it doesn't feel right. I recognize it somewhere in my mind, but it doesn't feel right. He gave me another name, a name I held on to unconsciously for all those long years. "Nanaya" I smile saying it to myself, a name that was so important, even though I no longer know why. So many things where lost, I gaze at the three approaching figures; but I will search for them with my family.

**Lunar Eclipse**

I stare at the empty grass field, an illusion that was never really there. That pale moon, a lunar eclipse so far away. So fragile, even I know that one day it will all end, but I don't care.

Everyone runs through the remainder of their life, rushing towards the fated end. And so I will pass the remainder of my life, surely its end will be a happy one too…

These irreplaceable memories carved in our minds, under the same sky we search for them, to keep our promises, or break them.


	2. Chapter 1 Ever After

Chapter 1 Ever After

**Chapter 1 Ever After**

**Sakura's World**

Wrapped in the warm embrace, I can almost forget, but only almost. That insistent pain that I have bared will slowly be the end of me. Months have passed since then, life goes on, yet I'm still here staring out at the same sky. I can still feel your lingering touch, the warmth of your skin against mine. That warm smile has long since faded, but it will forever be held close in my heart.

I walk through the empty halls, remembering a life seemingly ages ago. I stare at the empty room, empty of personal effects, yet the feeling remains. I smile, walking past Rin's old room, still cluttered with junk from her last visit. Fuji-nee visits often now, ever since I took up residence here. I walk down the hall, and something catches my eye, stepping out into the yard I walk towards it. A steel storage shed, one that he had fallen asleep in so many times before.

I feel the tears again, a happy memory that causes so much pain. Rin finds me there crying, holding onto my shuddering body as a cry out.

It's dark when I awaken again. Rin is holding on to me tightly in her sleep, as if by some instinct she tightens her grip. I hold on to her, her light breathing adding to the peaceful atmosphere. She nuzzles against my chest, resting her head in the crook of my shoulder. I close my eyes, willing myself to sleep, to forget for just a while, so I can have that dream again...

He stands with his back to me, pale hair falling down his face. He embraces me without thought, and I hold on to him for dear life.

"Shirou…"

In these small moments, I remember that he is gone, and he begins to fade away. Always with a smile on his face, never questioning, just accepting that his time is up. I fall down to my knees; I know this dream is not real. I can't accept that he is really gone; accepting that fact now would make it all end. I feel the tears starting again, I don't want to feel this, _but I don't want to forget…_

I open my eyes again, light filters in, I stare out the window, and my body feels so heavy. Tears streaking down my face, _when will this pain ever end?_ But I already know the answer to that.

A happy ending to a story, perhaps that is too much to wish for.

The day finally arrives, the day I have waited for all these long months. I can see him in her eyes, and a small oval face smiles back at me. I feel tears again; Rin is holding my hand gently with an odd look on her face.

A child, yes, the last gift from him, something I will cherish for the rest of my life. It's something he would have wanted, I'm sure of it. And as I stare into those bright eyes, I feel as if he is there with me watching.

Such a fragile form, held in my arms these tears wont stop. A mixture of joy and pain, such sweet rapture and pure agony, I cannot help but weep.

The soft touch of a small hand, a child just born comforts me. I smile, so like his father, so like the man I love with all my heart.

I named her Nadeshiko.

**Ten years** pass by so quickly, the pain has receded. A dull ache somewhere in my chest; its cold grip still wrapped around my heart.

Hanami, it is that time of year again, I stare out at the dark sky. I kept my promise, even after all these years. A flash of brilliant light in the sky, colours streaking across the night sky.

"You're late sempai; I'm going to be an old lady when you come back."

**Fifteen years**, I don't know how I have lasted this long. She smiles at me, that goofy grin, everyday she seems to grow even more like her father. Yes, that girl so readily helps others, placing them above herself without complaint.

She has his eyes as well, every time she looks at me I feel like I'm going to melt. Though I am still puzzled as to why her hair turned so brilliantly white. I asked Rin before but she wouldn't say anything, in fact she turned away and refused profusely.

With each passing day I see her grow, and with each passing day I feel myself withering away. I can see it in her eyes as well, she knows I'm not long for this world, I can see the pain in her as well. I have caused her pain, but she bares it admirably. She does not complain, cautious and keen, she is quick to understand the situation. She shows no regret, for which I am glad; a life without regret is something we should all wish for.

Its spring again, Rin has returned for a visit. She seems more tired than before, something in her eyes whenever I see her. Nadeshiko enjoys her time with her; she has a profound interest in her work. I'm still mad at her for telling her she can use mage craft, but I can't stop her now. Not when she looks so much like her father, not when she has inherited so much of him. Even if there is a chance she will set the lawn on fire…again.

Rin brushes her long raven coloured hair out of her face, adjusting the glasses on her pale face. "She is just like him isn't she?" she asks, a small smile on her strained face.

"Yeah she is…so very much like her father, it hurts sometimes." I look up at the cloudless sky. A streak of silver crosses across the endless blue, and I feel tears falling down my face again.

**Eighteen years later**, I'm at my limit, I held on as long as I could. She looks at me with knowing eyes, holding my hand in hers.

"Mother, I don't want you to go, not now…" there are tears in her eyes, I wipe them away gently.

I stare out the window with unseeing eyes; an auburn haired boy is waving at me, making me feel nostalgic.

"Shirou…"

The world is growing dark, he smiles, trying to keep his promise even now after his own death. Perhaps it was just a faint dream at the end, but that promise was kept.

_The fireworks exploded in the sky, and two pale figures sat on a grassy hill. Watching the night sky with glassy eyes,_

"_Welcome back Shirou..."_

"_I'm back sakura…"_

I smiled, closing my eyes for the last time.

"You kept your promise in the end…"

I rush towards him, his back turned to the sun. Auburn hair turned pale, but still it was him. Such joy I feel, at the end of the world we meet again, and are lost in the embrace.

Maybe this is my happily ever after…that came just a little bit late.

Damn it, I'm seventeen years old and now I'm an emotional wreck, Rin stares back at me with red eyes. She had scolded me profusely after I had tried to summon a shinigami using one of the Matou's old grimoires. I kind of had to agree with her, it was a stupid idea; maybe I will try shamanism next…

As if reading my mind, Rin embraces me warmly, "she won't come back." I feel hot tears spring out of my eyes; I try to hold them back, keeping my voice level.

"You don't know tell you try Aunt Rin, you don't…" I stare into her wounded eyes and feel myself start to cry.

"I'm sorry" I can't say anything else.

I stare up at the ceiling, raising my hand above my head. The gentle sound of rain pattering against glass, the house is completely quiet. A thousand thoughts are running through my head, yet I feel so devoid of thought. An empty shell; like a puppet that has no thoughts; invisible strings tying my exhausted body to the bed. I want to cry, but it's as if my body has forgotten how.

All the power, all the power I hold in my hands can't change anything. This situation has utterly defeated me, never have I been so powerless. It hurts inside, this feeling of hopeless ness. I try to control my raging emotions, the familiar mask covering my face. My mother had always been able to see through my disguise. She said it was in my eyes, and no matter how hard I tried, she could always tell.

I didn't want you to go mom, I didn't want to let you go…maybe I'm selfish, but I wasn't ready to lose you yet. I didn't even get to say good bye, or tell you how much I love you one last time.

I wipe away the tears, my mind made up. Rin is going to be mad at me, but I'm going to use that which I by right have inherited.

The air whips around me, I feel dizzy, as if my brain was a radio and is only picking up static. Somewhere in my addled brain, I continue my careful chanting, words that will bind my will. Intense pain, like fire beneath my skin, I can feel my blood boiling inside. My bones like white hot steel, a skeletal melting pot.

I want to cry out, but bite my cheek, to the point where blood spills out. _I cannot break the silence; I cannot break it, not now._

I was once told a story from my mothers past. She told me of my father, a man I have come to idolize. He risked his life to save my mother from herself, sacrificing his life in the end to save them all. As I child I was enamoured by this hero, this hero that was my father.

But as I grew up, I realized just how broken my mother truly was now that he was gone. And then I came to hate him, hate him for what he did to my mother, came to hate the father I once loved. I hated him, because his memory slowly killed her.

Now that she is gone, I have no regrets in my decision. I couldn't stand seeing the pain in her eyes every time she thought no one was looking. He was but distant memories that caused her pain and happiness. A bittersweet emotion I cannot begin to describe. I wanted to give her happiness. Even if I lose myself in the process; and have to face the man I love and hate at the same time.

I feel a soldiery tear fall down my face, it is blown into the raging storm in front of me. Blood swirling around me; a red haze covering my entire vision.

Emiya Shirou, my father, my hero, and my enemy. Even if I erase myself in the process, I will alter the future, by changing the past.

The crimson haze whirls around me, a cyclonic wave of blood and sweat. I can feel the pulsing beat, mana pouring out from my finger tips, feeding the monstrous force in front of me. _I'm sorry Rin; I had to borrow one of your jewels._ The melted ruby spinned impossibly fast in the center of the room. Slowly growing brighter, it soon became unbearable. Then everything turned black, and I felt the ground rushing up to meet me.

These strings of fate, tied too people they transcend time and space, bringing with them fortune and disaster. Time is not a constant; it flows not in a straight line. Perhaps by some design yet to be known, a greater will forced itself upon this game of chance. Granting the wish of a foolish girl, who bet her all on a dream of the future? Sending her to a moment in time, a crossroad from which a new future could be chosen.

And out of the innumerable possibilities, the right path was chosen, and the right person, chosen to walk along it.

**Future World**

Light exploded in the dark park, lighting up the empty grassy field with relative ease. Rusted swings swayed in the gentle breeze, not a creature stirred in the momentary light. As if the world was holding its breath, an unexpected, but not unwelcome guest arrived. The leaves rustled, ancient trees swaying in the breeze. But something was wrong; something deviated from the plan she had set in place.

A man stood over her delicate form, his pale hair falling down his face. He wiped it out of his face with one hand, an odd look on his face as he stared down at her. He laughed, pulling out an interesting device. Flipping it on, he pressed a few buttons; a dial tone pierced the silence.

"Hey, it's me, I think I found what we were looking for, a girl who transcends time, that guy from the church was right."

There was silence for awhile, and then the pale haired man smiled. "Don't worry, that man won't be able to stop us, he is a _'hero of justice'_ after all…"

He laughed coldly, a piercing sound in the night.

A crow cawed loudly, watching with beady red eyes, it turned away, taking flight into the cloudless sky. A full moon was in the sky, and beneath that same sky another awoke with a start.

I stared up at the ceiling, my face plastered with sweat. Seven is sleeping soundly at the foot of the bed. I could feel the sticky liquid coating my entire body, my clothes wrapped around me like a straight-jacket. A tangled mess that effectively pinned me done, a flood of emotion hit me all of a sudden. I struggled against my material bonds and rolled over, landing heavily on the floor.

Pain explodes in my head, I ignore it with ease, and there is no need for me to feel pain. But something is wrong, something is wrong with my head, something is wrong and I have to find out what it is.

One word comes to mind, a name, _"Nadeshiko."_

I close my eyes, but it won't go away. This feeling, something is terribly wrong, and I can't just let it stay that way. I straighten up, throwing off sticky clothes, I turn on the water. Seven groggily opens her eyes; I step into the shower quickly, revelling in the sobering water.

"Ciel-sama, are we leaving again?"

I stop, the sound of running water pounding in my ears. "Yeah" I respond quietly, "yeah, but I wont be able to do this alone."


	3. Chapter 2 Broken Future

Chapter 2 Broken Future

**Chapter 2 Broken Future**

**Broken World**

I stare down at that cold shell, that body which had been so full of life. I feel so empty, as if someone had carved out my insides. My hands have turned cold, as if all the heat in my body has left. I can see my warm breath in the air; the room has grown so cold. I slam my fist into the ground, leaving a deep indent. "Damn it, why couldn't I save you."

A thousand tears later, and a thousand words said, and I couldn't do anything in the end. _What worth do I have, when I can't keep my own word, when no matter how much I try_…I feel tears on my face; I wipe them away with one hand.

"No matter how much I try, you won't come back…"

I hit the ground with my hand, deepening the dent further. I can hear the rushing of footsteps, but I already know it's too late, I can't turn back now.

I turn away from the girl's corpse, my broken heart screaming out. That red blossom flowing out of her chest, her raven hair stained red. I can still see her shocked face, staring down at the hole in her chest. Then that smile, full of regret she fell to the ground, closing her eyes.

The blood wouldn't stop, I couldn't save her, I couldn't save her, I couldn't…I feel hot tears falling down my face. _Don't die, please don't die, don't leave me, you can't leave me._ She smiles up at me, her pale hand cupping my face, she smiles, and tears in her eyes. Then her head falls back, and she is still.

The footsteps are growing closer now; I turn my back to them, lifting up her delicate form. I held her close to my body, this girl who was everything to me.

Amidst a field of corpses, the broken red knight cries out. His hoarse scream echoing in the darkness.

I stare at the pale haired man before me; he lays a raven haired girl down on the ground. I stare in shock; even from here I can feel the waves of agony washing off of him. My eyes widen as I see the corpses lying around him, _so this was the man we were sent to kill_.

He turns to face us, fifty men and woman strong, fifty proud knights. In his eyes I see all the worlds pain, I see a man who has lost everything. Such profound sorrow my hand is stayed, my sword dropping to the ground even as he draws his own out of the air.

He cries out in a hoarse voice, expressing his agony in a terrible roar, and then the world is swept up from beneath me. I fall to the ground, that cry of unbearable pain still ringing in my ears as I die.

_No man deserves to feel that kind of pain, not even those condemned to damnation in the fiery pits of hell…_

_In sorry…Emiya Shirou, for the pain you must endure before the end._

Black chains bite into his skin, dark blood falling down his face. He does not ask for salvation, he does not repent for his sins. Instead he prays for another's salvation, asking not to save himself from his most certain death.

Behind bars of iron, the red knight watches with unseeing eyes. Beaten and broken he has no will, his mind all but spent. Still in the depth of night, in the thralls of his own personal hell he cries out one name. Only one name the name of a girl, he does not speak otherwise, keeping his silence.

I watch him sometimes, wonder what kind of calamity could cause a man to be so broken. They only told me small details, about how he killed a girl with his own hands.

He looks up with fevered eyes, unseeing he cries out again, a name that sounds familiar. I stop writing my report, walking over to his cell. His eyes are unfocused, he stares at me, and then begs for her, begs me to give her back to him.

He screams out, telling me about her, about how much she meant to him. About how he tried so hard to save her; about how he would sacrifice himself for her.

I turn away from him, the words of a raving lunatic; he will pay for his crimes soon. The judge will make his sentence, and then he will be put to death.

I stop as he says something that chills me to the bone. Turn around I stare into his now vivid eyes.

"What did they do with her body…?"

He speaks quietly, tears falling down his darkened face. I walk towards him, squatting down in front of his cell.

"What are you talking about?"

He gives me a cold look, "don't fuck around with me, and tell me what they did with her-" he stops, turning his head away. When he looks back there are fresh tears on his wounded face.

"Tell me what they did with Rin's body."

I turn away; I'm disgusted by him, "why would her killer care about that."

His shocked face doesn't surprise me, but the tears that fell down his face did. He drops his head, shoulders heaving. Racking sobs come out of him, tears streaming down his face.

"I killed her…" he has to force his words out; he looks up at me with such a miserable face. "I killed her…" he repeated it, fresh tears pouring down his already wet face.

"I should never have let her go; I should have been there for her." He stares at me with pleading eyes, "kill me…"

Those words break my heart, as I stare at that broken man I feel myself start to cry. Tears falling down my face, I realize this is the first time I have truly seen him as he is…

A man called Emiya Shirou, who is mourning the death of someone he couldn't save.

I accept the truth, those lies I was told shattering like glass. I fall to my knees, tears streaming down my face. I can't believe I believe such things about him, he who I loved so very long ago.

"Caren…" he says my name, a flood of memories rushing through me. "I can't live like this; they are just going to kill me, so please end my life now." He looks at me with pleading eyes. "Please end this unbearable pain, I can't stand it anymore, I can't live…"

"I can't live without her" he looks up at me, closing those broken eyes. And with an anguished cry I end his life, with a single strike. The bloody knife falls to the ground with a clatter, I raise blood stained hands to my face and scream out.

I take the knife in both hands, joining him in the cold embrace of death. The scarlet flower that emerges from the blade in my chest spirals out. I close my eyes to the world, shutting out the screams and rushing footsteps.

_Perhaps in another lifetime this would have turned out differently. A thousand choices made, each carving out their own future in the sky._

_At the crossroads we part, each taking our own route. Each following on through, without regret we never look back._

_And so we never see the tears falling down the others face…_

The corpse looked up at the ceiling. Blank eyes searching for something in the distant ceiling tiles, dried blood caked on her face. Something pulsed, a warm feeling somewhere in her nether regions, and then it spread. Like a tree it branched out, a spidery web of heat weaving its way through her cold veins.

A heartbeat, and then another. The corpse coughs up blood, dead eyes blinking and then opening. Blink again, focusing on the unfamiliar ceiling in the dank room filled with ethereal light.

A dull pain somewhere in her chest, a wound that should have been her downfall, but that no longer concerns her. Instead a new pain had hit her, an all encompassing agony that contended with the feeling of white-hot oblivion. Then realization dawned, and she cried out in a cracked voice.

Somewhere in her addled mind she realizes the truth, she realizes it but rejects it. A simple human defence, block out the unwanted pain, avoid the agony just a while longer.

And so she blocked it out; forgetting the pain; forgetting the memories, forgetting everything.

And so the corpse rose up from its bed, long raven hair falling down. And it walked out of the room, unaware of its own existence, all the while tears running down its pale face.

My mind is a haze, as if something was blanketing my thoughts. It hurt to even just think, my mind frantically tries to find out what is wrong, only adding to the pain. So I shut down, blanking my mind so I no longer feel the pain.

This world inside of my mind, my secret paradise free of all outside influences, it is my world to govern. Still something doesn't feel right, somewhere in my mind something protests.

A girls face appears before me, so familiar yet so very new. She looks at me with wounded eyes, silently mouthing something.

"_Nadeshiko"_

I mutter the name without realizing it, this wounded body unresponsive to my calls. Something appears before me, a golden arch in the ground. A wizened old man stands before it, he smiles.

I am compelled to step forwards, the golden arch passes over my head, and I am flying. Soaring through pale clouds, a see a window in time, a place I know somewhere in mind I should go. And so I fall out of the sky, a corpse from a different time, and I crash right into someone quiet unexpected.

**Empty World**

A puppet master of sorts and a distinguished magus in her own right, she looks down at me with a curious gaze. A girl stands beside her, hollow eyes looking at me as if I was nothing but components.

Perhaps that's what I am, nothing but elements that make up a human body. My will is lost, my reason for living gone now, for that I am sure. Still something keeps me here; something in my soul rejects this death and perceivers.

_Nadeshiko_, that name brings some meaning to me. I close my tired eyes, _Nadeshiko_, _why does that name sound so familiar…_

**Dead World**

I stare up at the crimson sky, dark clouds passing over me as I watch the sun rise. A thousand men and woman stand behind me, watching that same sky.

_The path of fate ever strays from its destined goal, taking detours and shortcuts in the name of self discovery._

_Everyone journeys towards the end, both the cradle and the grave of humanity. So we move towards an end, the true path that has not yet been discovered._

_But the human race is corrupt, a parasite that justifies itself with its own sentience. Those who accept that fact have no power to change, with each passing day we destroy the world around us. _

_And so we altered our fate, forsaking the world with which we where born. And crafting a world wrought with human hands, all for the sake of our so called future._

_This agonizing death we gave to our mother, how can we not believe that retribution will be made? For the sin's of our fathers, we cast aside our doubt and take up arms against and unseen foe._

_The end will come for us, of that we are certain. Death rides on swift wings, approaching us with the carrion crows calls as its trumpets. The black blood of our comrades its crimson banner, the burning skull our last sight before the end._

_Still we fight on, deceiving ourselves further with foolish notions of greater peace and prosperity. When in shallow graves our dead look to the sky and weep for the lost sky we once saw._

The black specter of death screams out in its unearthly voice. Dark eyes as black as night stare out; pupils like slits, crimson red like fiery hell. Beneath its tattered hood; a face of pale bone, its gaping maw wide and terrible. Its arm, like melted steel and lacquered bone fused together. The twisted black metal shines with a pale luster. With a hand of pale bone it grips its weapon of choice. A long scythe, such is the reaper of souls image.

_Words do not describe the fear we feel staring up at the dark figure approaching us. We cannot comprehend the end that is to come. Death is not something we can understand, we know what it is defined as…but not it's meaning._

_And so in these killing fields we strive for a new future, only to be cut down by the very notion. By some cruel irony we have already accepted that we cannot change, and that we will scour this world like we did in the past._

_Perhaps we should let this reaper end our miserable suffering, and then perhaps there will be peace…_

_Yet I still stand here, I fear death, I am only human. Yet maybe I am no longer, what does it mean to be human. My ideals have changed over the years, so this foundation of humanity no longer applies to my twisted form._

The specter of death looms over me and I stare into those dark eyes. And I accept my end, closing my eyes and waiting for the death that follows.

_Others will continue on, but my battle is over, and so I will join my brethren in the graves. This world stained with blood, a hollow corpse filled with the dead, it is not something I feel regret for leaving._


	4. Chapter 3 Crimson Flower

Chapter 3: Crimson Flower

**Chapter 3: Crimson Flower**

**Kohaku's World**

_Accolade Etched in my chest is_

I stare at the figure before me; somewhere in my mind I know this can't be real. Yet at the same time, I can't help but accept this as reality. Such beauty; like a flower in bloom at morning's dawn.

Yet so fragile, so very delicate looking, porcelain skin like a dolls, yes just like a doll. This empty shell, I touch the face gently. Revelling in the soft touch against my bare finger tips, I smile without realizing it.

In this faint light, I loose track of time, the maiden before me trapped in her seemingly eternal slumber. I do not recognize the face that mirrors my own, those amber eyes searching for something in the dark reflection. I wipe red hair out of my face, running my hand through my hair.

I do not understand this emotion; it is foreign and new to me. Tell me…why it hurts inside, why do I feel this way every time I stare at my own reflection?

_A blood red rose_

A faint taste on my lips, I don't like this taste. My reflection blinks back at me, still gazing back at me with that curious look. I bite my lower lip, crimson liquid pours out as I feel a sharp pain.

The pain recedes, as I taste the crimson liquid, a familiar taste. I do not like this taste, yet it is the only thing I remember from when I awoke. A metallic taste; like water that has been left to stagnate in old plumbing pipes.

_And yet in this heart burns_

No, that is wrong. There is another thing I remember. His face was the first thing I saw after all. How can I forget the one who has named me anew?

"Shiki," I say that name, the only other name I know besides the one with which he bequeathed upon me. The girl that stands beside him, her gaze never falters, yet I see her pain every time she looks away. She knows unbearable pain; I have felt its sharp edges cutting into me in the waning light. My twin, my sister, she is important to me. It is a feeling I have deep in my core, I do not understand this profound attachment to her.

_A naked love_

I love him with all my heart, for that I am certain. Nothing gives me more joy than seeing his smiling face when I step into the living room each morning.

Even I can see the tender look behind my twin's statuesque form. Or maybe perhaps that is a vision all my own. I do not know the past, and it is not spoken of. Yet I feel as if I have forgotten something important, and no one seems to want to remind me what it is.

_The lengthening shadows finally merge_

The days seem to be growing longer; everyday I walk through these halls. Pictures and places, I remember them all, but they do not feel right. Not even the name I was told was mine seems to fit me. Perhaps I was too hasty in accepting a new name from Shiki, but I do not regret my actions.

"Nanaya," that name that I have accepted as my own, I do not understand why it feels so…right. I do not regret casting aside my former name; I am no longer the person I once was.

Still, in the dark of night I remember something. A crimson light cascading across the sky, I see her figure before me. A girl, someone important to me once upon a time, I see the shocked look on her face. And then all is darkness, and I awaken screaming.

_Lots of people are born and die_

That girl with scarlet hair, she haunts my memories in these halls. I can feel her presence in this house, an unseen whisper blowing through the halls. I do not ask about her, I do not ask questions. Perhaps the past should be forgotten, but I feel as if something is missing.

Why do these emotions continue to haunt me? This empty void inside my chest cannot be filled. It tears at me in the dark hours, bringing tears to my eyes, and then I awaken in a cold sweat.

_Why do humans seek a life?_

Why do I live? I have asked this question many times before. Never have I found the answer that I am looking for. I must have a reason, I must have a goal of some sorts, or else this life I live would have no meaning.

I gave up my life, and in the end I was given a second chance. But why was I given that opportunity, and what am I supposed to do with it?

_Simply to commit an irrevocable sin_

My hands have blood on them, for that I am certain. Blood can only be washed away with more blood, so these hands will never be clean. This sin I have committed, I have gain no respite from its accursed touch. Perhaps it would have been better if my life had ended that fateful day, that day…

_The prayer of incarnation_

But I am still alive; I was given a second chance. Redemption from the darkness that I walked upon; heading towards unfathomable calamities. And salvation from the dark shade that gripped my mortal heart with its icy hands; choking me.

_The inerasable mark of Cain_

In the dark of night, I remember in my dreams. That past life, of a doll who felt no pain, I was scared; scared of the pain. It hurt so much, such miserable inescapable agony, something I do not want for myself, but cannot force upon another. I will always be tainted by it, this blurred memory from my past.

I can still feel the rough hands on my skin, the darkness, like poison invading my senses. That painful sensation, a dull ache radiating out, waves of nausea threatening to break me completely. But still, even after all I was not broken, I am a doll, I feel no pain.

_Charade solve the mystery_

This charade, the mask I wore has shattered into a thousand pieces.

Who am I? Who is this person that seems so familiar and yet feels so impossibly different? I cannot accept these memories as my own. So I will reject them along with everything else. Even if it was once important to me, like that vermilion haired girl, they are lost to me now. I cannot cry now for something I no longer know.

_The fallen angel's wings fly_

Maybe I was always just running away, scared of feeling pain, scared of being human. So that is why I became a doll, something that does not feel anything. And yet, I still feel, but it hurts sometimes, and it becomes unbearable again. But I will not run away anymore, I have run enough. I will face the pain, and overcome it, because I'm not alone anymore.

_The thin blade destroys words_

I do not need words, this pledge I make comes from my heart. Hollow words, I can make a thousand promises, but there is only one I will keep-

"_I made a bet, if that boy noticed I switched places with Hisui-chan…that I would quit doing such things." _

-I smile, griping the white ribbon I'm my hands. I will continue to smile, even if the world is destroyed and broken. And all the stars are smote by the darkness.

_Towards the end of the world_

My foolish world is broken now, like glass it has shattered and cracked. Irreplaceable, I will cast it away, accepting the reality in front of me.

_If swaying my heart is a sin_

A tear falls down my face, but I do not feel any emotions. Perhaps regret, regret for casting aside everything that I was. I do not understand this emotion called love, and yet I so readily accept its warm embrace.

_Is to live my punishment?_

Shiki, I have caused you so much pain, I have caused you so much suffering. Tell me, do you still love me? Do you still love that girl with blood on her hands, who watches you from afar with longing eyes?

_They fall in a jail called love_

I love you, yes, I love him. This heart of hearts understands this; even this once broken doll can feel the emotion called love.

So perhaps I still have hope after all, even though I do not wish for it. It has been given to me nonetheless, and perhaps I did want it after all.

_Those foolish children of Abel_

I want to live in this house with them, this boy who is the object of my affection, and that girl who is still precious to me.

_Accolade Etched in my chest is_

I turn away from the cracked mirror, wiping the dried blood from my cracked lips. In this dusty room, this room that I have been drawn too. The world seems to lose its luster, and all the warmth fades into nothingness.

Yet here in this place, I feel so warm, that familiar presence welcoming me warmly. I feel tears on my face, but I do not understand why.

_A blood red rose_

Her memory smiles, that doll who gave up everything smiles as well. The blood stained flower sits basking in the sun, remembering its long past.

_And yet in this heart burns_

"_Tell me Kohaku, why did you do that?"_

A soft voice asks me that, I cannot answer, I do not have an answer anymore. The presence seems to be content and turns away.

_A naked love_

"Perhaps I loved you as well…"

_I swear to this feeling I have of you_

"_Akiha-sama…"_

The name escapes my lips before I even realize it. I fall to my knees, overcome with a strange emotion, it bubbled up inside and threatened to burst out.

_Even if it is actually blame_

"I'm sorry."

I say those words, tears spilling down my face. I'm so sorry, I cannot take it back, and I cannot change my past. No matter how much I wish it, I cannot turn back the clock and alter that moment.

"I'm sorry I killed you."

_Accolade Etched in my chest is_

Soft footsteps, I hear him walk into the room quietly. I know it's him, that presence is unmistakable. I turn around, staring into his scarred eyes, broken and unseeing.

_A blood red rose_

I move towards him, placing my hand upon his chest. He reacts to my touch, wiping tears off my face as if he could still see. I smile, returning a gift to him, though he had returned it, it is now mine to give again.

_And yet in this heart burns_

The white ribbon covers his broken eyes; he seemingly stares down at me. Opening his mouth to speak I stop him with my mouth.

_A naked love_

There was no need for words; this innocent wish was all I needed. Just a boy and a girl locked together in a tight embrace. The sweet pressure of pressed lips, that dizzying feeling that accompanied a sweet flavour.

I pull back, closing my eyes and savouring that sweet taste. So I am surprised when he cups my chin with his hand and pulls me back. That passionate kiss, I melt into him, a sweet emotion overwhelming my senses.

_Charade solve the mystery_

My shattered world is swept away in the wind. I hold onto him tightly, not wishing to let him go. The two of us together; with nothing but the taste of each others lips. And the smell of flowers in the morning air; gently enveloping us in their sweet embrace.

_The fallen angel's wings fly_

The girl's memory turns away, long black hair flowing behind her. With a smile she fades away, returning to the nothingness.

_The thin blade destroys words_

"Shiki…"

_Towards the end of the world_

"I love you."


	5. Chapter 4 The Seventh Empire

Chapter 4: The Seventh Empire

**Chapter 4: The Seventh Empire**

**Sakura's World**

Perhaps I am too old to dream like this, too old to dream about spending in a field of sunflowers under a bright blue sky.

No, that is just foolish talk; I will never be too old to wish for that. Even though I know that wish will never be fulfilled, my star has long since faded away after all. Still, sometimes, I wish for it again, that wish I have never spoken to anyone about.

_I wish my father would come back to mother, and then we could be a family_…

**Broken World**

As prophesied long ago, the seven great empires of man would rise and fall, and then the lord of lords would rise once more.

The world is ripe with strife, broken down and destroying itself. This rotten world will not survive, so by some chance of fortune a man has taken up his banner. Marching towards a future ill conceived by the minds of corrupt men, under the named of freedom.

A golden future wreathed in flame and the blood of the innocent.

The black riders cross the horizon, rotting corpses of man paving the way to a bloody future. The pale king smiles, with a wave of his hand the world is swept up in turmoil.

In the midst of tragedy, heroes rise and fall. Tainted and reborn, hope and betrayal, death and salvation, the godless are further forsaken, and lost completely.

Under the black banner, the pale king took up his crown of thorns, and wrought the world anew. And so the world was swallowed up and lost; wreathed in flame and blood.

**2 Years after the Death of Emiya Shirou**

"Shit," The explosion rocks through the foundations, silencing the many curses that followed. I turn away from the resulting shrapnel, feeling small pieces of metal cut into my skin.

I look myself up and down, my long dirty hair tied in a pony tail behind me. I grin with some amusement at my predicament, _a girl who hasn't taken a shower in five days, the world is truly over._

I catch my reflection in a large piece of broken glass, a dark slash stretching down my bloody face. A trace it with my finger, feeling it seal as I pour mana from my finger tip.

_Dark blue body suit, ripped in numerous places. My dark hair, nearly blue, is a mess, and there is a piece of glass in my shoe. All in all, a pretty good day…_

I shake my head, "since when did I deem this normal!?" another explosion sounds off in the distance. A deafening boom followed by an even louder explosion as a twelve story apartment building fell over.

"real-estates gone to the shits eh?" a gruff voice speaks out, followed by a roar of laughter.

_Sometimes I wonder if the human races only defining quality is the utter lack of awareness of what is going on around them._ I glance around the now ill-defined room at groups of people laughing while holding semi-automatic weapons over their shoulders. _It would seem ignorance is bliss…_

The explosions continued to sound off in the distance, and I dimly realized they where getting closer.

"They are weeding us out, those bastards," I speak through gritted teeth. I grip the metal object in my hands, it was something I was reluctant about bringing. But that damn old executioner made me bring it, _and now it will probably save my life_. I glance back at the now silent people _and perhaps theirs as well._

"Come on old girl, don't fail me now," I mutter.

"It's not nice to call someone old; I am a bit touching about that whole age issue." Responded the girl who now sat by my side.

"Well what am I supposed to call you, you happen to be five thousand years old, and you're not exactly young anymore.

The girl pouted, long pale hair sweeping down her face, as she brushed it out of her face, she revealed brilliant green eyes. "You don't have to remind me, if you keep telling me I'm old I'm going to start getting wrinkles."

_The spirit of a conceptual weapon is worried about getting wrinkles, yep the worlds gone to hell._

"See that big ass shadow over there," I point into the sky, where what appeared to be a moving V was dropping religious hellfire.

"Take it down, I know the drill" the girl responded, she sighed. "Inanna, next time can we go to Hawaii or something?"

"I would be happy to take you, except Hawaii currently has a nuclear warhead sticking out of its rear end."

"Damn, they take out all the good spots first."

I smiled as I hefted the heavy weapon; the girl was squatting beside me, looking down at the streets far bellow.

"Hey, you ready kiddo,"

"I'm not a child Inanna" she pouted, making her statement highly objectionable.

"Yeah, yeah, Kalani," I smile at the face she was making.

I raise the battered weapon, an old issue Lahti L-39 20mm, a relic of the Second World War. The Aircraft in my sights, I give the signal to Kalani. The girl smiles vanishing in a flash of light; leaving the faint smell of flowers and gunpowder behind.

The wind blows across the wrecked building I lay on, my mind focused on the task at hand. The flying bastard looming over the city comes into range; I pull the trigger bracing myself for the recoil.

The Lahti L-39 has firing rate of 30 shots/per minute, with a cartridge of 10 shots. I smile to myself, the weapons cartridge at my side. But I only need one bullet for this thing, I watch with mild amusement as the Aircraft explodes.

**Arial Bomber Breckinridge**

"What, surely your not serious!?" the lieutenants voice echoed in the near empty room.

"Yes I am serious, and don't call me Shirley" replied Shirley, gazing out through the view port.

"Damn, that bastard is taking it too far" he muttered.

"Take it up with management, Leau" replied Shirley, brushing auburn hair out of her eyes.

"Oh, you can be certain I will-" the rest of his sentence was cut off by the explosion that rocked through the entire Ship.

Shirley turned away from the view port as a sea of fire burst through the room. In a flash the Arial Bomber Breckinridge fell to its grave, crashing into the rubble of the ruined city. With a mighty roar, the steel plating gave way to cleansing fire as it exploded.

Kalani returns to my side, grinning like a child at Christmas. I smile at her, the bright glow of the downed ship fading in the distance. With a burst of light a plum of smoke rises into the darkening sky. The stars are so close you can almost touch them with your hands, but those distant lights no longer shine for us. Like a dark vaulted ceiling the sky the stars are hidden by a shadowy veil.

Gunmetal grey clouds roll in, releasing silver rain, washing away the memories. I stare up at that broken sky hidden by clouds, remembering the forgotten blue sky.

I wrap my hands around my cold body, haunted by the touch of death on my shoulders. Wandering and lost in the warmth of human affection. Kalani looks at me with doe green eyes, round orbs like jewels. She holds onto me with her small hands, nestling her face upon my chest. I wrap my hands around her body, and will myself to forget.

_Should I feel happy for killing people, should I feel grateful that I did not die today? It doesn't seem right, this absence of morals. Yet here I am again, ending the lives of others to preserve my own…it's not right, I don't like it._

_But I can't stop it; I want to live after all…_

_Tell me Shirou, you gave your life for this world…was it worth it?_

I can't keep running away like this, and yet in the end, that's all I have been doing my entire life. Running away, running away from my past, maybe that's all I can do.

**Dimensional Divide, Ravine of Souls**

The two swordsman locked blades, like mirrors they fought, blade against blade. A reflection of the same future, a broken man with scorched black hair, and a pale haired red knight.

Like flames they danced, repeating the age old motions equated with battle, cutting through the air with hungry blades. A whirlwind of air, a rain of swords falls down from the sky as monolithic gears turn in the far off distance. With blood stained hands they raise their hands to the sky, touching the heavenly roof with course hands.

"Rhongowennan!" twin roars announce the coming destruction, shattering the world around them in a flash of brilliance. Dark gears fall down to the ground, leaving a cloud of dark matter in the burning air.

In the smoking ruin they stood face to face, bleeding hands crafting weapons from blood and iron. Turning the impossible into possible and forging something that should be unattainable.

That brilliant light, unmistakable to the eyes of any who have witnessed its power. With coarse hands they raise blades of light, the blades roaring out their approval. The light eclipses the world, drowning out all sound with a terrible roar.

Still they continue to lock blades, the shattered remains of thousands of weapons staining the hill like corpses. A thousand shallow graves full of memories, like dust in the wind they flow through the wind beaten landscape.

The dark knight stops, raising a broken arm above his head. A dark blade appears in his broken hand and with I mighty swing he brings it down. Dark oblivion washes across, from horizon to horizon. Blocking out the sun; casting the world into perpetual darkness.

The red knight responds with a flowery shield, burning with the smell of wood smoke and sea air. Like glass they shatter, splintering off and joining the graves of their brethren. Even as the broken blade falls the dark knight rushes forwards, hands outstretched as if grasping at a distant miracle.

They lock blades again, repeating the dance of blades, repeating the same result. There are no victories; there is only stalemate after stalemate.

The dark dust settles, the dark knight raises his halberd, its blood stained tip towards the ash coloured sky. The distant sun falling out of the sky in a blaze of glory, a last act of defiance before a blanket of stars falls across the windswept land.

A question was on his lips, but he did not speak, keeping the unbroken silence. With whirl of movement the red knight continues, not voicing his own concern.

Still that question remains unspoken in the wind…

…_was it worth it?_

_I stare at that man, broken down, his beliefs shattered. Betrayed by his own ideals; a shell of a man who stands before me._

_I stare at myself, the man called Emiya Shirou._

_He looks down at me, pale hair scorched black, a dark scar across his battered face. His arm a twisted form of steel and flesh no longer a part of the human anatomy. But then he does something contrary to his state, and smiles at me._

_I do not understand how he can continue still, that man who is my future self. Yet I still see myself in him, even if I do not understand him now._

"_The future is not set in stone," he speaks without emotion, his face a blank slate. That scorched black hair cascading down his broken face._

"_Why are you telling me this?" I ask a simple question to myself._

"_Because you asked me too" the Counter Guardian smiles, running his uninjured hand through his hair._

"_And maybe because I want to believe the path I choose was not the only one…"_

_I look at him for a moment, then turn away, turn away from my future, "I will make my own future."_

"_As do we all…"_

The halberd falls down, breaking beneath its own weight. Wide eyes, the dark knight looks down at the hole in his chest. Dark red lines, like broken veins streak out from the wound, cracking his body like glass.

He smiles; falling down to the ground he lets the wind take him and is swept up in the destruction. The broken body is lost as the wind brings it to its final resting place, under a bright moon.

Platinum clouds drift lazily in the sea of twilight and stars, the full moon shining down on the lone knight in a field of broken weapons.

_Do you have your answer now Emiya Shirou?_


	6. Chapter 5 Deviant

Chapter 5: Deviant

**Chapter 5: Deviant**

**Empty World**

This smell I don't like it, like a mixture between the sickly honey smell of burning flesh and decaying wheat. No, its not that I don't like this smell, its this overpowering feeling I get from it, swallowing me whole in its encompassing mass. The swirling cloud of noxious gas; suffocating me; cutting off my mind with dark tendrils of flame bursting under my skin. I feel tears on my cracked face; I can't take it anymore, this pain in my hollow chest.

**B-bump**

This sickly heart screams out, frantically pumping out blood into my already dead body. I can hear its struggled last beats, already I can feel the end coming. This overpowering smell, it is the smell of my own decaying body, already broken beyond repair.

**B-bump**

So why does this feeble heart still beat? It should be impossible, this hole in my chest testament to that fact.

**B-bump**

Something desperately holds on to this world, when I should have already given up. Maybe I'm just being stubborn, but I don't want it to end like this…I don't want to die. I feel my eyes slowly close, even though I have not seen anything in a while.

The shrill wail of distant sirens, blaring lights flash through the open window. Painting dark grotesque forms on the wall, the lengthening shadows contorting further.

A dull ache has settled on my stiff body, I stare up at the ceiling, a mirror hung there reflecting my image. Milky-white eyes stared back, shaded by dark raven hair streaked with silver. There is no emotion; my face retains its statuesque form, only my eyes tell me of my reaction.

Distant footsteps announce their arrival, the soft leisurely pattering dulling my mind, making it easier to slip into the darkness. But now is not the time for that, blinding pain explodes throughout my body as I gingerly raise myself up. Stagnant blood rushes through my body, pushing through broken veins.

I turn to the doorway, running a pale hand through my hair as the two enter. Two women the elder of the two stops in the doorway, pursing her lips into a fine line. The younger looked onwards in horror, mouth agape like a dying fish. They both had dark hair; the younger's long hair falling down elegantly.

I look down at my pale form, a dark scar on my chest stretching from bellow my ribcage to my shoulder. I trace it with one finger, stopping at the center; I pause for a moment remembering the feeling of burning agony.

I glance up, the younger has shut her mouth but her eyes still show her revulsion. The elder has put on her glasses and lights up a cigarette.

I stretch my body, feeling spots of pain shoot up like Christmas lights. Lifting myself off the table I gingerly step onto the cold floor, legs not eager to support my weight. Forcing strength into my legs I stand, _this is no time for gravity to get the better of me_.

I absently scratch my shoulder, raising a cupped hand and yawning into it. The younger woman looks like I just committed murder and glares at me from behind the older woman.

I cock my head to the side, brushing hair out of my face. With a dull sense of embarrassment I realize why the younger woman is shooting daggers out of her eyes. Standing stark naked in front of people isn't something I usually do, though it doesn't seem to have affected me at all. The realization came with the common signals of "get dressed quick your naked you idiot", only to get a "who gives a fuck," response.

I realize I recognize the elder woman; a person I dimly saw in what I thought was a dream. She takes a long look at me, eyes raking over my form with scientific precision. She stops, a faint smile resting on her face, she turns away beckoning me to follow.

I brush past the younger woman, following the bespectacled woman down a sparsely lit hall. She opens a door a few doors down the hall, I follow her entering an equally Spartan room. Four plastic folding chairs sat around an ancient oak table, Hispanic letters carved into its face. A bored looking girl sat in one of the chairs looking out the window at a brilliant blue sky. A man was busily making something in the background, the sound of running water and the clanging of metal.

She hands me a pair of beige slacks and a black t-shirt which I put on with no hurry. She sits down in the chair opposite the door with a sigh. Rubbing her forehead with her hand she speaks softly "you know what I am about to say don't you."

I pause, examining myself in the clothes I am now wearing. I turn to face her, my face seemingly incapable of showing emotions, "yeah…I'm dead."

The woman smiles, "not quiet just yet my dear." She nods to the chair in front of me and I sit down. "Tell me," she continues, ignoring the sound of the kettle in the distance, "what is your name?"

"Tohsaka Rin" I respond easily, in the instant that I blink, that sudden darkness I question myself, unable to remember my past. But the thought is pushed into the back of my mind as I reopen my eyes and reality rushes back to meet me.

The woman is speaking again, "my name is Aozaki Tohko" she points at the bored looking girl diagonal to her "that's Ryogi Shiki." She pauses as a man walks into the room carrying a silver tray with four steaming cups of tea. "And that would be Kokuto Mikiya" she points at him with her thumb. He blatantly ignores her placing the tea on the table in little china saucers.

I take a sip of the tea, revelling in its warmth and flavour, already my opinion of him has been elevated.

He smiles and takes his seat opposite Shiki, who was staring absent minded out the window, twirling a small silver spoon with her fingers.

I rack my brain, the hot liquid searing down my parched throat. My name: Tohsaka Rin, birthday: February 4th, occupation: student, memories: zilch.

I look up at the woman named Aozaki Tohko, someone from a dim memory surrounded by darkness.

Mikiya smiles warmly, "are you okay?" he looks relaxed, sitting in a plastic folding chair. I try to smile, but the muscles in my face aren't working so it comes out as a blank look. Maybe my body is just being honest to itself; if I smiled right now it would be a fake one.

Tohko quietly pulls out a small paper envelope, dropping its contents onto the table. "We found this on you" she then hastily adds "we didn't take anything, and your clothes where thrown out."

I glance down at the small pile of objects, numerous expensive jewels, both cut and uncut, A small silver cross with a beaded chain of some kind of metal, and a ruby pendant. Somewhere in my addled memories I recognize it, placing my pale hands around it I can still feel its warmth.

…Emiya Shirou this, my head…my head it hurts. Why can't I remember?

_The pale haired man smiles at me, ruffling my hair with his hand. I look up to him, at his grinning face, and my fist colliding with his head._

I hit my head on the desk, my body suddenly feels so heavy, and it becomes a burden to lift my own life on my shoulders.

**Dream World**

The dark sea swept coast had seen better days. Dark crevices indented in its rocky face, an icy sea breeze blowing in from the south. A lush forest crowned the out looking rock face, stretching out to a small clearing just above the sea. A river valley stretched to the left, fresh running water meeting the sea bellow.

A rickety old wooden barge drifted midway in the river, floating in the rushing water and breaking under the pressure. I watched it go with unfocused eyes, my mind elsewhere, and my body on auto-pilot.

The sound of snapping twigs announces her arrival; I turn around to face her. Her bright green eyes twinkle as she gracefully walks down the forest path, her blonde hair falling in a wave behind her.

She smiles, a bright smile so unlike her former self, so…true to her own self that it is startling. She twirls around in her bright blue dress, and I stare in wonder at this girl who is my king.

She stops her movements, pausing with a finger on her pale cheek and beckons someone forwards. A solitary figure peals away from the tree lines shadow, long golden hair sweeping down her fair face.

The king of knight's smiles, beckoning Queen Guinevere forwards, with a pale hand, her face full of sunshine and laughter.

But the image fades away, and I am left alone, left with this pain and betrayal. My betrayal; the betrayal of my king; who I should serve without question.

Still, that image remains in my mind, of that moment of weakness she let out.

"_Tell me Lancelot, am I a good king?" she pauses in mid stride, her golden raiment shifting as she turned. "Hmmm, perhaps not" she responds to herself, "for I am not a king to begin with…"_

With a smile the King of Knights walked away, it was the first time I saw her smile. It was also the last time I saw my king the way I used to.

Forgive me Arturia for this injustice I must commit.

_Never will forgive you, never leave you_

_You know that if you live like, you will die like,_

_  
How can I erase your pain and aid you_

_When Death wants to kiss you and you want to kiss him back..._

This black shadow cast over my eyes, the light no longer avails me. If I am destined to die at the hands of my fellow knights so be it. But I will not accept such an end willingly, beyond pain and death I will serve by my word. And so if I must smite down my brethren, may god's judgement be swift and true on this sinful fool.

I twist out of the way as a bronze spear crashes in the ground, shattering against the paved ground. I raise my sword, calling forth its true name "Arondite!"

Even as my cry is let out, a roar of opposition sounds in the distance. Such an end is fitting for a fool such as me, still, there is some regret for this path I have taken.

Perhaps in another lifetime I will serve my king as I should…

_Seven lives of a man, passed before me._

_Seven graves, one for every love I've had._

_  
Only once I have broken my so called heart._

_Only one made me see why they cry._

Will I learn how to be one of you someday?  
Will I still feel the eyes that behold me?

_  
Will I hear what you think, when you see me?  
_

_Will it tear me apart if you feel for me...?_

_I'd give my everything to you; follow you through the garden of oblivion._

_If only I could tell you everything, the little things you'll never dare to ask me..._

_On this dead winter's night. Darkness becomes this child.  
Bless this night with a tear. For I have none I fear..._

I stare up at the twilight sky, this devil's blood staining my skin black. Pale steel now black as a moonless night, like smoke it cast itself upon me.

I lay her body in this field of death, casting aside this broken sword that delivered my fate. Taking up my king's blade I end this life, a single tear falling down a broken knight's face.


	7. Chapter 6 Ripple Effect

Chapter 6: Ripple Effect

**Chapter 6: Ripple Effect**

_A single moment in time can affect the outcome of a thousand moments in the future. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the coin toss had turned out differently? If you had taken a left instead of a right at the crossroads, would you still be where you wanted to be?_

**Red World**

I shut the dusty book with a sigh, ignoring the tell-tale signs of fatigue that must be like neon lights by now. I shift my weight slightly and nearly die of shock as he walks into the room. Silent as a winter breeze he seems to just peal off the walls and it scares the shit out of me every time he does it.

He smiles, walking leisurely towards me, his hands outstretched and his face full of fake amusement. He stands before me, bending over; his face nearly touched mine, "is there something I should know?"

I cannot speak, he already knows I screwed up; the damn bastard goes through time killing people so of course he knows.

"I-I-it wasn't me, I-I-I swear it", I'm stuttering, cold sweat running down my tired face.

Suddenly his face cracks into a wide grin, his eyes like slits. Then all at once the blade slashes through my body, severing my spine in the process. He throws the blade away; it fell to the floor with a clatter and shattered into a million pieces. "You always were a bad liar" he says softly, walking away.

**Blue World**

I shut the dusty book with a sigh, ignoring the tell-tale signs of fatigue that must be like neon lights by now. I shift my weight slightly and crash to the ground with a loud thud, the chair I had been sitting in broken.

Suddenly I hear footsteps, and raise myself gingerly up to see a man walk into the room. He smiles, walking leisurely towards me, his hands outstretched and his face full of fake amusement. He helps me up with one pale gloved hand easily raising me up, "is there something I should know?"

I cannot speak, he already knows I screwed up; the damn bastard goes through time killing people so of course he knows.

"I-I-it wasn't me, I-I-I swear it", I'm stuttering, cold sweat running down my tired face.

He looks at me sadly, and then I feel an icy cold rush in my mid section. I look down in shock at the hole in my chest and fall to the ground.

"You always were a bad liar" he says softly, walking away.

**Green World**

I shut the new book with a sigh, ignoring the tell-tale signs of fatigue that must be like neon lights by now. I stretch, raising my hands high above my head, my mind somewhere up in the clouds.

I hear footsteps, and open my eyes by a crack, only to see the gunman raise his weapon up and fire. I hear the bullet collide with my chest before I feel it, six shots in the chest. I stare down at the bright red flowers blossoming on my shirt. My vision like a haze, I look up at my killer and smile.

"You didn't ask me this time."

He looks at me oddly, and then smiles faintly, "you always were a bad liar."

"Damn straight" I mumble falling to the ground with a dull thud.

**Nyx World**

The image freezes, rewinds and repeats. The exact same situation, played over and over again, but with a different outcome each time.

A man sits watching the screen, propped up in a large leather chair on some small pillows. He scratched his balding head with one hand and yawned into the other.

A pale haired man lay on a couch some distance away, his eyes closed and a hand rested on his head, covering his face. Suddenly his eyes blinked open and he raised himself up, brushing hair out of his face. He groaned and flopped back down, closing his eyes shut tight.

"Good morning sunshine," the balding man chuckles at his own joke, ignoring the wave of killing intent radiating out of the downed man.

"One of these days I'm going to…" the pale haired man doesn't finish his sentence. Immediately stopping as he sensed her presence. She walks into the room, and to all appearances looked like a prepubescent girl.

She smiled, revealing pearly white teeth, her gleaming crimson eyes flashed in the darkness. A snowy white hound followed behind her faithfully. She brushes a long lock of black hair out of her face, "good morning…"

"…Archer."

**Ancient Hall**

A man lay on giant stone steps while a girl frantically tended to him. He waved her away with one hand, striping off the bandages covering his eyes.

"Oh god, put those back on, every time I look at you I feel like I'm going to be sick." The balding man cries, covering his face with his fat hands.

The man glances over, dark pits where his eyes should be, a bluish glow illuminating out of their dark cores.

The girl rushes back with new bandages and trips, crashing down to the ground with a large thud. She raises herself up, not injured in the least and hurriedly dresses the man with fresh bandages.

A white and black knights where involved in a furious battle of rock, paper, scissors some distance away.

"You have assembled a crack team here mistress," mutters Archer limping out of the dark room and into the hall.

The girl glares daggers at him; her white hound looked around uninterested, scratching behind its ears.

Archer slumps down onto the stone steps, "so what did you want to tell us" as he says those words the entire hall goes silent.

The girl puffs out her chest, opens her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the sound of someone's stomach growling. The white hound whimpers on the ground, its large eyes round as orbs.

"Food first then…"

**Forest**

The footfall echoes sounding so impossibly loud in my ears, as I run down the forest path. My panicked brain trying to sort out what just happened as my tired body pushes itself to keep upright and moving.

Blood, there was blood everywhere, dripping from the branches of the redwood trees we were camping under. She grinned happily, dragging that pale haired man along while her beast of a hound ate them.

And I watched, frozen, unable to run, unable to turn away from the corpses in front of me.

Blood, death, the sickly honey smell of burning flesh. I feel sick, I can't block it out, what is this emotion, why do I feel so…

…_Excited._

The beating in my chest grows louder, pounding like it's about to burst. Sweat pouring down my pale face, my wet dark hair falling down obscuring my face further.

I shift my weight, revelling in the touch of the grass against my bare skin. A primal instinct, something somewhere in my mind told me to kill them. I was only too happy to oblige to the need.

That coppery taste in my mouth, such a familiar taste though I do not understand why. The blood on my dry lips; dripping down my chin, falling to the ground in scarlet drops. My pink tongue snakes out from between yellowing teeth, rolling over cracked skin.

The sharp pain clears my mind of all thoughts, blood gushing out of my mouth. I smile, feral instincts kicking in as move languidly through the forest bed.

Sweat continued to pour off my dark skin, numerous scars on my toned body seemingly gleaming with a faint light. My hard manhood presses against me as I slither along the ground.

I continue forwards, my eyes ever watching the white hound as it feeds on the corpses, and its master. Ignorant of the growing heat in my loins, my pupils dilated in the faint light. The cool grass licking my skin, as I glide across it silently, eyes always on the figures before me.

I dig deep into the earth, my nails scratching against dirt and rocks. Kicking off the ground with all the force I could muster I launch myself into the air.

A pale blade flashes into existence almost immediately, soaring through the air in a beautiful arc. It cleaved through my left leg, slicing through my calf as if it was butter. I crash to the ground, buffering the impact with my arms. I compensate for the lost limb, ignoring the blinding pain that threatened the corners of my mind with darkness. The dark sloshing of blood sounds out as it spills onto the ground. I leap into the air, straining my three remaining limbs.

In the corner of my eye I see the pale blade flying through the air, making another pass at me. I twist in the air, feeling the touch of steel pass by me.

The paled haired man catches it in his outstretched hand, bringing its twin up to bear down on my exposed chest. The dark blade bites hungrily into my flesh, leaving a dark slash as I am blown away by the shear force of the blow.

Landing like a cat, still compensating for the lost limb, my entrails dripping out of the wound in my chest.

I launch myself forwards, reckless abandon in the face of impossible odds. My visions blurs and I see the pale haired man split into two people. I blink and he is back as one, shock registering on his face as he brings a golden blade up, raking it across my shoulder.

I crash to the ground, my left shoulder cut clean off and lying next to me like a piece of meat. I utter a curse as explosive pain creeps up into my mind and I am lost in the darkness. I raise my gaze up to the pale haired man, my mind lost in madness.

The pale haired man screams out, clutching his arm as blades exploded into existence. Liquid steel rushed to claim dark flesh, conquering his human body in a wave of molten metal.

He is not like he was before, a glamour dark as night cast on his dark shoulders. Like a shadow of his former self, blood shot eyes snivelling in their sockets. Dark rings beneath his steely eyes, hair turned a charcoal black. His mouth wide and gaping, silently screaming as he falls to his knees. Thousands of blades explode out of his body, crashing down like rotting flesh, melting into pools of steel and blood.

Suddenly it's over, the paled haired knight his former self, panting heavily. His eyes regained their former focus and he stares down at his arm with a face full of confusion.

The girl speaks her mind, "what the hell was that."

I close my eyes as I hear him respond, "I don't have a fucking clue."

**Throne World**

The pale king sighs, watching his other selves blunder through their lives had taken a toll on him. A faint smile falls on his face as he watches the events unfurl. Under his breath he recited that ancient promise from long ago.

"We will meet again…"

Sometimes I wonder if my king has truly been lost to the madness, but I don't think I mind. I am just a servant after all; I am not here to think for him.

The woman stands there watching him with careful eyes, no not a woman, more like a girl. Her delicate form wrapped in a silky fabric, her bright violet eyes watching the pale king. Her guarded face carried no emotion; if in fact she did not blink one would think she was a decoration carved into the wall. Firm breasts pressed against the fabric she wore like a dress, like a silky wave it fell down her back. A silver blade was held loosely in one hand, its pommel at her hips.

Without a word she left the room, walking down a sparsely lit hallway. In the faint light a small smile fell upon her statuesque face. Within seconds she was gone from that place, leaving the pale king to his own devices.

The pale king paid her no mind, entranced by the images that flooded into his mind. Memories of the past, memories of the future, memories…

He remembered…he remembered everything.


	8. Chapter 7 Nevermore

Chapter 7: Nevermore

**Chapter 7: Nevermore**

**Satsuki's World**

Cackling laughter awoke me from my sleep. The harsh sounding laughter stops abruptly, and a voice mutters something in the dark.

I cannot hear what the man said, or maybe…I just didn't want to. An odd feeling was coming over me, like my veins were freezing. My fingertips have gotten so cold they are burning with the cannibalism of my flesh. I stare in shock at my hands. Sickly congeal blood staining pale skin, the dark rivers of red dried brown.

This creeping agony in my chest, why won't it end, the river of blood flows freely now. The faceless corpses stare off into the distance, milky white eyes no longer seeing anything.

**I feel sick.**

The contents of my lunch spill out of my stomach, quick painful spasms bringing tears to my eyes. My throat is painfully dry, I feel so thirsty, and there is blood everywhere, why do I feel so thirsty?

With a feeble mind I cup my hands and gather precious liquid, gingerly bring it to my mouth. The warm soothing liquid washes down my throat like sweet nectar. My pupils dilate in the darkness, a flash of light from above. A car passes over the bridge, its headlights revealing the open graves of many. In the pool of bloods reflection I catch a glimpse of myself, and I fall to my knees and cry.

Unbearable sadness, somewhere in my heart of hearts I understand what I have done, what I have become. But I cannot accept such a thing, I cannot accept it…but the fact is…I'm still thirsty.

Golden eyes flash in the darkness, as the tear streaked face of a girl rises from the ground and begins the long walk home.

The soothing water sobers me up; I wash out my mouth full of the taste of bile. The gentle pattering of water awakens no one, in the household. I stare at the silver drain, dark streams of pink and red mixing with clear water at the rims.

I wash the dirt and grime off my body, my hair a straggly mess of tangles, leaves, and the occasional twig. I sigh in dismay, massaging conditioner into my damaged hair, letting the water fall. Absent minded I stretch, arching my back in the process. I let my hair fall down my back, washing it out. I step out of the shower, feeling the cold floor with my bare feet.

My pale skin has turned a rosy pink from the heat of the water, the small room encompassed with steam. Moisture dripped down the walls, running down painted white walls and wood. My blank mind takes its leave and my body obediently goes through the motions. Gently caressing skin with a white cream, the smell of lavender wafting in the air, I slowly close my eyes.

Gentle clockwise rotations, semi-circles in tune with the curves of my body; my body feels hot. A strange emotion comes over me, sudden warmth in the pit of my stomach. I shake it off, drying off my hair with a towel.

An odd feeling creeps over me, I do not understand, my brain can't comprehend this foreign emotion.

I grip my leg as a muscle spasm suddenly occurs. My mind goes blank for a moment, a sweet feeling of complete abandon. Then reality comes back and deals a crushing blow, I scream out as I fall to the floor.

Griped in my hand is a bloody piece of flesh, my leg spasms again as blood pours out of the wound. The pain is unbearable, I do not understand it, my brain no longer wants to accept it, and I black out.

The annoying mechanical beeping awakens me, my body feels heavy and my head aches. A man was whispering, his accented voice sounding odd to my ears.

"_We have repaired the damage to your daughter's leg; it seems to be a case of rapid __Necrotizing fasciitis. Her body was surprisingly receptive to treatment, and has already begun healing..."_

I block out his voice, closing my eyes I force myself back to sleep, but I cannot, another urge ranks greater than sleep.

**I want…**

The white clothed man walks in unaware, he saunters over, a grin on his face. With fair long fingered hands he gently caresses my arm. Running the back of his hand up and down my shoulder, I can feel my body reacting to his touch. The gentle rhythmic movement arouses my dulled senses; I feel my body growing warm to his touch.

Like spiders his fingertips move down my arm, resting on my hip, he slowly snakes his way up my abdomen. Inch by inch he grows closer, my mind grow more restless as he continues his upward movement. I mewl softly as a feel his fingers on my breasts, through the thin fabric of the hospital gown. There is much unneeded groping, of which I conclude to be his inexperience, before he settles on a soothing motion. Gentle motion in time with my heartbeat, I'm lost in the sway of my emotions. My foolish adolescent body already full of reckless abandon, I open my eyes.

Shock registers on his face as I stare into wide brown eyes. He starts to back away, a convenient lie already forming on his lips. I reach out and feel his erect member through his briefs, gently undoing his belt at the same time. More shock and confusion on his face, I slip my hands onto his hard manhood. Realization dawns on his face, I gently stroke up and down, watching his reaction with mild amusement.

He moans, a guttural sound of pleasure as clear liquid leaks out, spilling over my hands. I ignore the sticky substance on my hands, licking my fingers. A strange sensation assaults my tongue; I pause for a moment, revelling in it.

A feral grin creeps up onto my face; I take him onto me, drawing him close as if embracing a long lost child. My body burning, burning the stagnant blood in my body, my still heart beats loudly in my ears. This insane pressure, I need some kind of release, anything, anything will do right now.

I pull him to the bed, dragging him on top of me with ease; I don't even understand myself anymore. A being of want and need, and full of reckless abandon, I rip off his shirt, anything to get closer. Running my hands over his chest, he cups my breasts with his hands. Heat, the heat is still rising; my body is burning, as if being bathed in the sun for all eternity. This dizzying sensation, my hands grip his body, running along smooth skin, running through his hair.

My hips buck as he inserts himself into me, I can feel the exploding pain somewhere in my head. Yet I do not cry out, my virgin blood lubricating his passage, and I do not even care. I am so far beyond my breaking point I do not even know how to pick up the pieces anymore.

Every thrust, every passionate moan, it feels like recalling a distant memory from hallowed depths. I feel my body respond to his every action, still I want more, and I want more of this emotion. There is no thought; there is only emotion, a burning need and rampant sexual desire. My breaths come out short and ragged, a pressure is building in my head, I don't understand.

He thrusts into me again, I feel myself clench tight, a small stream of blood leaks out of me. He thrusts again; my head goes pleasantly blank for a moment. Again, my body responds to him, there are no more barriers to break. Again and again, until I lose myself in it and am lost completely, then I come back again and he repeats. In this seemingly never ending cycle, somewhere in my memories a part of me rejects this person.

I cup my hand on his face; he gives me a sheepish grin, ejaculating on my stomach. He just keeps grinning, teasing my breasts with his fingers.

I do not understand him, I do not understand myself either, and why do I continue on like this? A wave of passion rolls over my body, I arch my back, taking him into me again. Impossible pain and pleasure, sweet rapture and inescapable agony, I feel myself go over the edge and everything turns white.

And as that sweet feeling of abandonment returns, I hear someone scream out in the night. And I come to a realization…

This heart in my chest…it no longer beats.

_Its warm;_ that is the only thought in my mind before white hot oblivion settles into my skull. Like a thousand white hot daggers in my brain, the pain is unbearable. Through tear filled eyes I see a room painted red.

I'm compelled to leave this place, the girl I once was retreating from the mess she has become. Past dimly lit halls, past the sick and dying, past sliding doors and out into the cold night.

I do not know how long I have walked; I just keep going, ignoring my protesting limbs. This burning pain has become a part of me now, a constant thing in my mind. With every step I take, every breath I make, I feel myself as alive.

But I know that can no longer be possible; I know it in my heart. In that heart that no longer beats for me, that I am no longer human. Somehow I feel no remorse for what I have become, only sadness at what I cannot be. It cannot be helped, or something foolish like that.

My footsteps retain a steady rhythm, left, right, left, right; I stumble and fall to the ground. I feel like laughing, but all that comes out of my mouth is a steady stream of blood.

As I lay here on the cracked pavement, looking up at the dark sky I think of one person, the one person who can help me.

_We were so close together, _

I'm an idiot; I can't help but think it sometimes. I see him; I see him as he is and cannot speak; this feeble voice unable to convey the emotions in my chest. Yet at the same time, there is a part of him that keeps me away.

_But the twilight has a different colour now._

Staring out the window at the blue sky, calm and serene, but sometimes I catch a glimpse of something more. In those blue eyes there is an impossible gift and curse, something I cannot comprehend.

_The abundance of kindness only keeps a distance between us._

I cannot help feeling this way, about an oblivious idiot who I love with all my heart. If he would just turn his head this way, maybe he would notice me. Maybe he would notice that I don't have a fever this time. Sometimes I just sit and watch him; I do not even need to speak to him, and just being there is enough. But I want more, maybe I am being selfish, but I want him to look only at me.

_Our coldly ignored hearts are wandering in the midst._

Ah, but that's just wishful thinking, even if he did notice he is too kind to say anything. Tohno-kun is just that kind of person, he is…nice. I do not know how else to describe him, yet at the same time he is cold.

_If this awkwardness is what its like to live,_

It was freezing cold that day, I remember thinking I was going to turn into a Popsicle if I stayed in there any longer. Hot ragged breath, we huddled together for warmth, in our gym clothes we were not able to retain body heat efficiently. Then a miracle happens, footsteps sound out in the distance. Our cry of plight is heard, and the door opens up a crack, brilliant light shining into the storage shed.

I couldn't help but cry, I was so happy, so relieved. And he just looked at us blankly as we filed out, giving our thanks.

In such a way, I fell for that boy, who just did what he could. Ha, it seems so funny now that I think about it, that I would fall in love with such a man.

_Shall we close our eyes under the cold sky?_

I raise myself up from the cold pavement, I have to keep moving. Then a voice rings out in the darkness, and I freeze, I cannot think, I cannot believe it.

"Yumizuka, I-is that you, what happened?"

_Even though we were so close together,_

I feel like crying, him standing there at the other end of the street, looking at me with those eyes. I stare back at him, and his expression changes, he turns into the person I didn't understand, but I understand now.

_We can't even get a word across between our increasing distances._

Glinting in the twilight, he brings the cold steel blade up, slicing through the air as I twist away from the cutting edge. He kicks out with his foot, and it collides with my body, knocking me back.

_Even though we were so close together,_

He bursts forwards, that killing blade in his hands, but I'm not yet ready to die, that is why I am still here.

_The twilight has a different colour now._

The blade flies away in a beautiful arch, falling to the ground with a clatter. I raise myself off the ground, staring at my blood stained hands.

_Please, _

I glance up at him, "I'm sorry Tohno-kun, but I cannot let you kill me yet." He doesn't respond, cold blue eyes staring at me with an intenseness that scares me.

_Give us a quiet sleep under the moon light,_

In a flash he increases the gap between us, retrieving his killing blade, the tool with which he ends life. I understand him now, this side of Tohno Shiki, the incomparable killer.

_If it is the last thing possible_

I understand it now, yet I still cannot say anything to him, I cannot, I cannot do it. These words on my lips can't be spoken, like my voice has been strangled by invisible hands. We continue this dance of blades, all the while I scream out in silence.

_If you are going to cope with fate,_

Why can't I say it? Why can't I convey these simple feelings in my heart? I want him to know, about these uncontrollable feelings in my chest. These painful emotions that threaten to consume me every time I watch him go. And those feelings of elation every time I see him come back to me.

_You can't go on saying you are sad or lonely._

You, who are in my heart, cannot know this emotion that shakes and rumbles when you are near. This world that I have built falls to pieces in your presence.

_Even if it means to break the links of words we have made together,_

Those fateful words, I do not regret them, to me, Tohno-kun will always be my hero. Even as he tries to kill me, on this street in the dead of night, I want him to succeed.

_You would still want to say goodbye to the dull nights._

These dull weights in my chest, the words that cannot be spoken, are thrown away in the dark night. And I am free, free of everything; there is only the two of us together, in the cold embrace of death's waltz.

_Even though they were so close together,_

Every motion, like preordained steps carved in stone, we continue this intricate dance. He turns in mid air, slashing downwards. The blade cuts into my shoulder, tearing apart muscle and ligaments.

_The unmatched couple have no place they can reach._

At the same time I pierce his side with my hand, feeling the hot blood run down my skin. We break apart, ten feet apart from each other. There are no emotions, only the cold calculation of our next move.

_Even though we were so close together,_

Every part of my body screams out in agony, a silent scream of unbearable pain. But I ignore it; rushing to meet him I accept my end.

_In a glimpse of your new face,_

Under the moonlit sky, the stars look close enough that if I reached out I might be able to pluck them out of the sky. I feel tears in my eyes, as I look up at his blood stained face, and watch the realization of what he has done come to his face.

_I am fascinated, almost as though it is strange,_

There are no words to make; the shock on his face is enough for me right now. Maybe that's all I really wanted, to be seen as who I am.

_Almost enough that I would feel uneasiness_

That face, it doesn't suit him, so I smile, ignoring the pain in my chest for him. But my face contorts further, more pain and misery before the end. Even though I know this is the end, I do not feel sad. Curious still is how calm I am, staring up at the twilight sky.

_Where lye our hearts? _

"Hey Shiki" calling him by his name I continue looking up at the staring sky, bright orange light streaming across the sky.

_Where are we drifting off to? _

"Do you remember our promise?"

_So that our eyes do not become lost_

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to break it"

_Even though we were so close together,_

He opens his mouth to speak, but I stop him with my hand, cupping his mouth. Then with strength that surprises me I grip the back of his neck and bring him closer.

_We can't even get a word across between our increasing distances._

Our faces almost touching, I can feel his breath on my neck. Tickling my skin; with such a wonderful sensation.

_Even though we were so close together,_

The world seems to lose its focus; everything falls away except the two of us. My lips pressed against his, locked together for an impossible moment.

_The twilight has a different colour now._

The dawn sun rises; I close my eyes, listening to the sounds of morning. My consciousness fading as birds raise their heads and sing out their lament.

_Please, _

I wish this moment could go on forever, this single moment in time. The world sways for a moment, and becomes the place in my heart.

_Give us a quiet sleep under the moonlight, _

In this manifestation of my soul, I will breathe my last breath, dying in the arms of the man I love.

_If it is the last thing possible_

I don't think I mind dying this way…but something…something is wrong.

Something compels me to open my eyes, my heavy eyelids resist but I open my eyes again. Footsteps sound out on the cold pavement; I turn my face to look at the approaching person.

I glance up at her luminous figure, her long red hair falling down her back, brilliant blue eyes surveying me. In her hands she holds a battered suitcase; she drops it with a loud thud, its impossible weight denting the pavement.

Just as I am wondering who this person is, I hear Shiki speak, "S-sensei!?"


	9. Chapter 8 Four Days

Chapter 8: Four Days

**Chapter 8: Four Days**

**Future World**

It was dark when I awoke. No, that thinking is flawed, it is not dark, darkness is the absence of light, but this…this is just nothing.

There is nothing in front of me, the complete absence of space in front of me, like a gaping void. I feel like if I move I will be lost in the nothingness, tumbling into the abyss end over end for the rest of eternity.

What is this place before me? This complete nothingness, like nothing I have ever seen before, yet it feels…so familiar.

Yes, this place, empty, empty of everything.

Cold, it's cold, so very cold. My first thoughts as I awaken to the harsh sounds of a winter morning.

I open my eyes, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Why am I here? Cold wind blows through the open window, rolling over my exposed skin with icy fingers. I shiver, pulling the covers over my face, blocking out the cold.

Sweat rolls down my back, the dream just before dawn already forgotten by my mind, but not my body.

The soft sound swaying of the wind in the silent room calms me, the gentle pattering of falling water in the distance. Footsteps announce someone's arrival, a soft knock on the polished oak door.

I glance up from beneath the sheets, suddenly aware of my environment. I am in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar place. At least I see to be intact and I'm still wearing my clothes, dark thoughts abound; I stare at the person in the doorway.

My breath catches in my throat, as I meet her serene gaze, our eyes lock and the ethereal beauty smiles. Long jet black hair fell down her back, falling down to her hips. A silver blade was sheath at her hips, a single pale hand rested on its hilt. Thin fabric wrapped itself around her, forming a dress-like appearance.

"Ah, Nadeshiko-sama, you are awake."

**4 days prior**

**Garden, Estate**

**South**

It was a clear day, the sky free of clouds for once in this long winter. Returning to what it should be, the beginning of a beautiful spring, but this lingering winter has not yet ended. I cup my hands, breathing into them, revelling in the warmth of my breath.

There is a soft pattering of footsteps, as she frantically rushes to me, having just found my bed empty. I smile, turning around to great her as she bursts out onto the patio.

"Hey Ina-"

Her fist collides with my face before I can even finish, for a brief moment I can see the ground and the sky perfectly. Then I hit the ground with a dull thud, darkness threatening my mind at the edges.

"Mikhail, it's bad enough you have got me in a maid's uniform, but now you have got me running around…!?"

I wave at her with my hand, my dizzy mind going somewhere else, before I notice something pleasant.

"So you decided to wear them after all…that makes me-"

Inanna turned bright red, immediately jumping away from him when noticing his line of sight. "I-I-I, I didn't have any other one, y-y-you" she stuttered, her facing steadily turning a deeper shade of crimson.

I close my eyes as I see her foot flying towards my face, such are the peaceful days.

Ah, I am here again. There is nothing, this world of nothing, but I am not alone this time. Her snowy white hair sways in an impossible breeze, as she calming looks out into the oblivion.

I'm captivated by this sight, a girl younger than myself standing up to the impossible. She looks so fragile, yet radiates such amazing strength. I smile, content with this moment, then everything comes rushing back and I return to reality.

I stare up at the ceiling, my mind is restless. I know I should not be moving with this frail body, but I can't stand this place. Inanna know this, she can see it in my eyes, but she can't do anything for me.

I can't do anything for myself, I will forever to watching people from afar…I will never be like that girl in my dream.

So I will bet my life on a game of chance, on a war of legendary proportions. For someone has reconstructed the holy grail in this town; and I intend to make good use of it.

Beautiful lines of light cross over each other as they carve symbols into the ceiling, an inverted pentagram overlaid on three isoclines triangles. My vision blurs, blood is dripping down from the ceiling, but it evaporates before it hits the ground.

The heat is intense; my frail body will not be able to last in this place for much longer. Still, I do not give up, this is my wish, and I will have it granted. It is a simple wish, something that shouldn't even be considered a wish. But I want to be able to stand up with my own to feet, I want to be free of this golden cage.

And out of the seal of blood, a figure appears the one who has answered my call, no…my plea for help.

She steps out gracefully, gliding through the air and landing softly at the foot of the bed.

"Tell me, are you my master."

**Apartment complex**

**West**

This seemingly endless winter drags on. As if karma had caught up with the elders who called the city falsely named.

As a child I loved the snow, this land covered in something so beautiful, yet so cold. A gift and a curse, double-sided like everything in this world.

The heater had been broken for two weeks now, so I have been bunking with the dorm mother, Kaori, until the repair man decides to show up. This unexpected turn of events began spiralling out of control.

It was a rather troubling experience for me, because, to be frank, she is beautiful. A young man and woman living in the same room, it sometimes causes me to panic at inopportune moments.

I once shared my worries with her, but she just smiled and asked me, "So you think I'm beautiful?"

Of course she is completely unfazed by my previous statement and concludes that I think she is beautiful. In her mind, it's already over, but in mine, I'm going crazy. I'm going crazy, every little thing she does, I notice it, and it drives me wild.

Every movement: the way she combs her hair and that pony-tail she wears. The way she smells, like lavender in some distant sanctuary high above the clouds. And the way she looks, when she sits by the window late at night, watching the stars in the twilight sky.

I'm enamoured with her, there is no denying it. Yet at the same time I am scared, scared of this feeling, tell me, is it right to feel this way?

Is it right to feel this strongly for a person I hardly know? How can I ever know, I have never felt this way after all…Still, I stay here, transfixed by her mere presence, unable to look away. The rumbling sky heaves a deep sigh, spitting out dark rain, drenching the world in water.

_Lately, the incessantly long spell of rain_

It's cold outside, and wet. I walk these streets without a jacket, unable to clear my confused mind. Everywhere I go I see glimpses of something that should not be, visions of a future yet to be.

_Has been suppressing my flourishing feelings_

But I cannot do such a thing, my conscience holds me back from the fatal drop at the edge. If I take just a step over that line…there will be no going back, there will be nothing but death.

_And my unrelenting regrets are making my bangs sway_

To break the bounds set in place long ago will result in untold terror. The part of me locked away since I fled from my family so very long ago. Half a man won't do, I must confront myself before I can do anything.

_Seemingly more confined by human kindness than by the dark,_

But I'm scared; I'm scared of the person I could become. A magus, a seeker of knowledge, an inhuman monster with no regards to life.

_I shut my eyelids and think back on the promise I made with you_

Long ago, before I left, I made a promise. To that person I left behind, to continue onwards as the person I was before, not the magus I had become.

_Tears, my tears fall in droplets, and a rotted moon has risen_

So I left her, my only sister, to become what I could not. Left her to become a monster; like my father, to become a magus in my place.

_Tears, my tears convey everything, and not one thing can escape from those feelings_

I raise my left arm above my head, staring at the place where the magus seal was etched into my skin. A gift and curse given to me by my father, something I never wanted something I wanted to throw away. But I just can't do that; I can't just throw it all away.

_The illusion I see the moment I take shelter from the rain will change the future; if it were you, you'd embrace that shining moment in both your arms, wouldn't you?_

"I'm sorry dear sister, I'm breaking our promise today your foolish brother has fallen in love with another."

_I can hear only my breath as I run out from the hush of night_

It pains me to realize how foolish this is, to use the power I fear, in order to be rid of it forever. Just one more step and I will be over the edge again…over the edge and across oblivion.

_What pushes me forward is but one single bond similar to love_

Defeat my other self, then I can truly give in to this troublesome emotion. The grail responds to my desire, etching the command seals on my hand.

_Tears, my tears spill in droplets and the night fog nestles close to the moon_

_Tears, my tears illuminate my footsteps, and I get the feeling I can get close to you_

In this place, under the falling rain, I summon my servant. There were no words spoken, we both understood what we where. There was no one else around, but he still had to ask that question.

_Tears, my tears fall in droplets, and a rotted moon has risen_

"Tell me, are you my master"

_Tears, my tears convey everything, and not one thing can escape from those feelings_

Time seems to stop as I stare into his painted black face, water streaming down. His eyes like slits, gleaming red, the very picture of death.

Thanatos, a nameless soldier from before time, a nameless fear made real. My servant, death itself made flesh.

_Tears, my tears spill in droplets and the night fog nestles close to the moon_

The black servant watches me, there is no hostility, only calm understanding. The man known as Thanatos has no ill will against humanity, he is what he is…No more, no less.

_Tears, my tears illuminate my footsteps, and I get the feeling I can get close to you_

"Yes, I am your master."

There is nothing but silence, the rain had stopped falling. The black servant falls to one knee, and bows his head low, awaiting his master's command. Awaiting the call of death, for he is its servant, and no others.

**River Bridge**

Pattering rain fell down on the pavement. Flickering lights cast odd shadows, light reflecting off oily pools of water.

The metal blade glinted in the dim light, its blood stained length held in his pale hands. In a flash it arcs downwards, clashing against the burning blade in the giants hands.

An explosion of air, sparks fly as the shockwave passes by the sputtering street lamps. The giant roars, its flaming edge tearing though a large portion of asphalt as if it where made of play-doe.

Eerie screams of metal sound out in the night as a chunk of railing tears itself apart and falls into the murky river bellow.

Steam rises up from the smoking crater in the middle of the road. The giant, berserker, as there can be no mistaking it now raising his head up. Blazing eyes contort, pupils dilating in the darkness.

In a roar he unleashes its flaming sword, a terrible cry of glory and death, "_Laevantein_"

I stare as my servant, falls into a stance, his blood stained blade glinting. Light reflects off its polished edge, causing after-images in the rain.

"_Tsubame-Gaeshi_"

**City Outskirts**

**Abandoned Household**

Four days, only four days until the sixth heaven's feel will begin. A battle that should have never been begun again, but it had. It had begun already, servants have already been summoned.

Someone had reconstructed the grail, restarted the ancient magic of the Einzberns. In the center of the abandoned room a man rises out of the darkness. A behemoth of a man; stretching reality with his mere presence; his eyes lock onto my face.

"Ho, you have grown since I last saw you Waver"


	10. Chapter 9 Dawn of the Third Day

Chapter 9: Dawn of the Third Day

**Chapter 9: Dawn of the Third Day**

**River Bridge**

**Second Level**

The shockwave knocks me back. Blood, sweat, and tears. Malformed iron and chunks of pavement lay next to me. The sky has taken on an ashy-red colour, spitting out black soot and turquoise rain.

Dull ringing in my head announces the return of my hearing. My mind is a haze; the world is spinning like compass near a strong magnet. I cant breath, the heat and smoke, it's too much.

"Please stand behind the yellow line, please stand…

--Please stand-

--please stand…

--yellow line…"

Red and green lights flash in the distance; I realize I have fallen to the level bellow. A train is coming, my mind isn't working, and I can't comprehend the meaning of this new information.

"Please stand behind the yellow line"

The irritating female voice comes out muffled, as the speaker from which it is produced is buried under a pile of rubble.

The train comes into view through the haze of ash and air bourn debris. A steel monster of human ingenuity, my mind is working again.

"Please stand behind the yello-"

"WHAT YELLOW LINE YOU GODAMN BITCH"

Whatever yellow line she meant wasn't anywhere to be seen now, and the ever approaching train was giving me a headache. The train's horn sounds off, adding to my growing list of annoyances.

"Just…just…JUST SHUT THE HELL UP"

I feel my hand burn; realization dawns and I curse myself for my stupidity. A waste of a command spell, a waste, as the war hadn't even official begun yet.

I want to scream, but screaming would use up the little strength I have left to maintain my sanity.

…oh fuck it…

**River Bridge**

**First Level**

The two crash into each other, blade against blade. Fire and steel, the world distorts before them, the air burning away. Inhuman hands bring the burning blade down, a devastating blow.

Left arm scorched black, blood oozing out, white bone shone through the destroyed flesh and clothing.

The servant Assassin grips the burning blade with that hand, his melted flesh disintegrating with just a minute contact with the fabled blade.

But not even a minute is needed.

The downward arc shines in the darkness, piercing the towering servant with inhuman precision. Just as the first, a second arc slices through flesh, as does a third. In a single moment, three impossible moves where made.

The servant Berserker, as there could be no other but him, stood silent. A dark chunk of meat fell off his body. His bloody throat cut clear to the bone, sliced through his jaw down to his collar bone. The pain must be excruciating, but the servant showed no response, there was no scream because there was no vocals with which to use.

Assassin turns away, answering his master's call much to his dismay. The two steal away into the night, like shadows in the dark.

In the cold night, the servant Berserker stands like a statue, rain washing off his back. His master stood some distance away, her face a mask, hidden in the darkness before dawn.

"The servant sacrificed his arm…"

She smiled wickedly, as if just realizing a cruel joke. Turning on her heel, she beckoned Berserker to follow, that wicked smile fixed on her face.

**Industrial Construction Yard**

I don't know why I decided to come here. Still, I somehow feel at peace in this place. Around those tools, things with which a means can be achieved, my mother had called me an architect. And my aunt had called me a tactician, among many other things that should never be repeated.

Sometimes I think aunt Rin's time in London caused her to act this way, but the truth is a much crueller thing. Mom always said she was a kind person, and I agree, she was kind, just not to me.

Mom said it was because I reminded her too much of him, I always reminded people of him. Rin seemed to be effected by it more; maybe that's why she distanced herself so much. She can't be called unkind, just…absent. Such that I never knew the real Tohsaka Rin as I would have liked.

_Sometimes life seems too quiet_

I gaze up at the clouded sky, dawns light hidden by a veil of gunmetal grey. The ashen sky hiding the deep blue I have grown to love.

_  
Into paralysing silence_

Take a deep breath, drink it all in. the world, the sound, take it all into myself, and make it mine. I breathe out, releasing all the built up tension since that night. Still, it's such a wondrous thing that I am here, wherever the hell here is.

_  
Like the moonless dark_

I glace over at the girl who is to be my guardian. She sits on a drain pipe as if it where a chair from the renaissance, one leg crossed over the other. She turns her head to meet my gaze, a faint frown on her oval face.

_  
Meant to make me strong  
_

I realize I have forgotten my manors, having simply jumped out of bed and vaulted out the window into the garden bellow. Years of training, years of mage craft, years of running away from dogs and she still followed me like seagulls do to hotdogs.

_  
Familiar breath of my old lies_

With a little apprehension I bow low and in a small voice proclaim. "Emiya Matou Nadeshiko, Nice to meet you."

_  
Changed the colour in my eyes_

I glance up slightly, still bent down. The Servant looks at me with a surprised face, before she bursts out laughing. Her face that was once a mask breaks, and a radiant smile enhances her features.

_  
Soon he will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by  
_

Clutching her side, the Servant wipes a tear out of her eye, regaining her composure. The girlish grin on her face makes me realize she is about the same age as me.

"I am Sei, nice to meet you Nadeshiko-chan"

_  
Sorrow lasts through this night_

"Why, its just woman and children" A mans voice sounds out in the night, his mocking voice irritatingly harsh. "Correction, just children" he stands atop the unfinished skyscraper, six floors above ground level.

_  
I'll take this piece of you_

Sei glances up at him, a bored look on her face, before vanishing into the mask of a face she wears. The mask of a soldier, there are no emotions, emotions are a waste of energy on the battlefield.

_  
And hope for all eternity_

The man glances down, his face full of disapproval. His pale complexion was visible in the faint light, bright hazel eyes and dark hair partially covering his face. Next to him stood a man that could have pulled off royalty without effort, or reason.

_  
For just one second I felt whole_

A servant, my mind comprehends this as if it where just everyday trivial information. The man surveys us from atop his steel lookout, this eyes undressing us.

_  
As you flew right through me  
_

It took but a moment, but I realized I was no longer tired. My body felt light, the familiar feel of prana flowing through my body.

I want this; I need this, this fight. Every inch of my body screams for blood, for his blood. The gaijin fool stands atop the unfinished building, his leering gaze faltering as he looks at my face.

_  
Left alone with only reflections of the memory_

This simple emotion spreads its wings inside me and burns away the air. In my left hand I hold the worlds sway, and in my right the world grips me tight.

_  
To face the ugly girl that's smothering me_

"**Trace on"**

_  
Sitting closer than my pain_

I was taught that this power was mine, and mine alone. To be used only when I wish it, for it is a gift given freely. For such a power, it became both a gift and a curse. In one hand I hold the power to create, and in the other I hold the power to destroy.

_  
He knew each tear before it came_

Bring the two together, and create something that is your own. Make it your own, this power is yours, and no others. A representation of the true you, made form in this world.

--use it well Nadeshiko.

_  
Soon He will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by  
_

The man's face twists in the horror of realizing his folly. Sei releases her blade from her side; its light casts away the shadows. A blade forged under the light of the moon, and unequalled killer of men.

There is no need to name such a blade, a relic of ancient Japan, it is known only buy its wielder.

Legends speak of phantom swordsman who could kill a thousand men with a single stroke. But history is often wrong, a thousand men…that's far too few for one such as this.

Becoming a hero, for slaying thousands of people, such is the irony of legends.

_  
Sorrow last through this night_

In my hands I hold those familiar blades, a gift from my father Rin had once said.

A stream of fire erupts in the sky, golden streams of molten rock and fire rushing towards me from the magus's outstretched hands.

_  
I'll take this piece of You_

Chains of light burst out of the ground, surrounding me, a triumphant grin on the fools face.

_  
And hope for all eternity_

His grin fades away as the dust settles; I look up at him, untouched. The falchions disappear from my hands, as memories flood into my mind.

_  
For just one second I felt whole_

The mage crest of the Tohsaka family flares into life, fusing with the gifts of Emiya Shirou and Matou Sakura. Three families of mage's, their shared blood and power are mine.

_  
As you flew right through me  
_

Like reading a book, it all flows into me. Every single word, every single phrase, every past memory; they become a part of me. My body is burning, the blood in my veins overheating. I raise my right hand and utter a curse, and the grin is wiped off the man's face forever.

_  
And we kiss each other one more time_

As if someone had flipped a switch, it all fades away into nothingness. The power that had been threatening to break me relinquishes its hold.

_  
And sing this lie that's halfway mine_

I feel the ground rushing to meet me, its solid form embracing me like a mother to a child. Even the air seems to become a cushion, the world becomes dimmer, and I close my eyes.

_  
The sword is slicing through the question_

"_Why was I given this?" I asked that question a long time ago, to a person I no longer recall._

_  
So I won't be fooled by his angel light_

"_Sometime in the future, you will use that power. It is up to you however, to choose how you will use it. I'm giving you this choice because I trust you will make the one you think is right._

_  
Sorrow lasts through this night_

The man's corpse falls to the ground, crashing into cement blocks at the bottom. The two servants continue their fierce battle uninterrupted.

_  
I'll take this piece of you_

Suddenly the kingly servant bows down at the waist. His face was covered by a mask of lacquered bone and the stretched hide of some animal.

"I'm sorry m'dear, but I will have to take my leave now" he says in deep baritone voice. With a wave of his hand he disappears in a flash of purple smoke.

_  
And hope for all eternity_

Sei stands flabbergast her face a mixture of shock and of deep seated anger.

"HEY, COME BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!"

Sei waves her sword above her head, jumping up and down in frustration.

_  
For just one second I felt whole_

The fading world continues to grow dimmer, but at the edges of my consciousness I see him. Emiya Shirou, the man who is my father, standing there in front of me.

_  
As you flew right through me_

He knells down; gentle, but coarse hands cup my face, sweeping stray locks of hair out of my face. I briefly open my eyes and look into my fathers face, those kind eyes gazing into mine.

_  
And up into the stars  
_

I try to remain conscious, by the darkness is calling me. Much to my dismay, I close my eyes once more, and fall into a dreamless sleep.

_  
Joy will come_

The man raises himself off the ground, his face turning into something out of a nightmare. A twisted off tangent the worst possible future, a man that destroyed the entire world for his own selfish gain.

A man called Emiya Shirou.


	11. Chapter 10 Twentyeight Minutes

Chapter 10: Twenty-eight minutes

**Chapter 10: Twenty-eight minutes**

**Airplane**

"I'm going to die in Twenty-eight minutes,"

Spoken so casually, as if it where an everyday occurrence. The girl beside me gazes out through the circular window. She glances back to gage my response to her ominous statement.

There is no hint of a lie in her voice or face, and I have long since learned that her prophecies always come true.

Which is why this is such a problem, because I need her right now, and she just said she was going to die.

"Shizune, are you sure about this?"

The girl looks at me, a sad look on her pale face, "have I ever been wrong?"

"No" I reluctantly answer, turning away from her, unable to look at her directly. A stewardess looks at me questioning, approaching to ask if I need anything.

I sigh, in twenty-eight minutes I will be on the ground again, and in twenty-eight minutes another person will have died because of me.

**2 days earlier**

"I need some help with this," I'm shocked, the blue haired executioner stood in the lobby, her head bowed down low.

She looked up, her gaze focusing on a guest in the room. Shizune smiled, she didn't look surprised at all, if she had, it would have been something out of the ordinary. Since that girl isn't ordinary, nothing ever surprises her.

"Nice boots," Shiki makes a comment, before returning to complete, but watchful silence. I'm surprised she even said anything; usually she just ignores everyone unless they happen to be even remotely interesting.

Tohko's face is an odd mixture of awe and disgust, her mind calculating. Finally her eyes lit up, and she turned to face the executioner.

"You're going to have to pay for her services."

Ciel looked at the puppet master, pulling out a small silver card from her pocket. "You can pay for a small European army with that."

Tohko's eyes visibly flashed, as her hand went like lightning and snatched the card out of the executioner's outstretched hand.

There has been a long standing statement saying that the way to a magus's heart is through their wallet. I'm inclined to believe whoever said that was incredibly correct after what I have just witnessed.

"Hey, give that back, I'm not your possession!"

Tohko smiled at Shizune, her face that of a magus. "What card?" she spoke with such incredibly sincerity not even a lie detector would be able to pick it up. If not for just seeing her swipe it off the blue-haired executioner I would be incline to believe her.

"The card isn't for you" the executioner smiled, her clear blue eyes sparkling. "It's for him" she points her index finger straight at me.

"No, he is mine," Shiki responds immediately.

Something in my head tells me this is going to end badly, even as Tohko announces we are all going on a trip.

Still, what worried me most, was the look on Shizune's face, I had only seen that face once before, that time before I met him again.

**Airplane**

Shizune smiles, opening a bag of airline brand peanuts. She offered one to the brooding Shiki who sat next to her. Who then not-so politely declined, or to be honest, she just ignored her.

Tohko sat one seat in front of us, in the aisle seat. Her face a sickly shade of green, hand draped over her eyes as she swore under her breath.

All the stewardess have been avoiding her ever since she screamed at them for not having any hard liquor, as she said it would "ease" the pain.

A young man was talking to the Executioner; he had been dragged alone by her. He called her sempai for some reason; I can't help but smile as he entices her with a bag full of curry bread.

The man knows his stuff, with one simple gesture all of Ciel's mental barriers crack and she reverts back to her true self.

"Tohno-kun please…" her pleading voice, I can't help but think it's cute.

A murderous intent immediately erupts next to me, so I quietly excuse myself, and go to the restroom.

"_Five minutes estimated time tell arrival"_

The announcement goes on the intercom, I quietly check my watch. The times are almost in sync, in five minutes, something is going to happen.

No, something might already be happening, but I can't do anything about it, in just five minutes she is going to die.

Ever since she spoke to me, I have been running through possible scenarios, but there are too many variables.

And then, as I sit back in my seat, Shiki speaks for the first time this entire trip.

"Something interesting is about to happen,"

A masked man steps out from the cockpit, the floor behind him stained red. There is a lull in sound for a moment, before the plane becomes chaos.

The man raises an Ak-47, and shouts out commands, the cowering stewardess's and flight attendants fleeing.

I check my watch, three minutes left. "Shiki, do something please" I whisper to her urgently.

"Hmm, I don't need too; he is already taken care of it."

I glance up at her face, she looks slightly disappointed. The masked man lets out a cry of rage, empty a clip at a man who stood in the aisle. I close my eyes, expecting the coming death, expecting the final breath of life.

With a single sweep of his knife, the man cut through the bullets like they where marshmallows. I open my eyes again, shocked to realize who he is, the man who was with Ciel. His glasses are off now, those blue eyes lit up, just like Shiki's.

In a single breath he is at the masked man's feet, his killing blade sweeping upwards and disarming the man.

He raises himself back up, griped in his hands is not a knife, it's his glasses. He slowly picks up a towel and wipes the blood off the frames.

I look at my watch again, 12 seconds.

**--11**

**--10**

**--9**

**--8**

**--7**

**--6**

**--5**

Something tears a giant hole in the side of the plane, great chunks of metal flying out into the clear sky.

**--4**

**--3**

**--2**

A man stands in the giant hole in the side of the plane, like a wraith. He raises a bloody hand, a black weapon held firmly by bony white fingers.

**--1**

The shot is fired, there is no time, she is dead, and there was nothing I could do.

**--0**

A moment in time, a single irreversible moment, everything seems to slow down. In a flash I remember, remember that time along time ago when she came to see me…

**January, 1999**

Azaka was leaning against the worn brick wall, a drop of sweat running down her red face. She smiled as I approached, trying to straighten herself up, but only causing more wrinkles and creases on the dress she wore. A bright smile like a flower in blood, the cool winter air swept down, her hair fluttering in the wind.

I wave at her," what would you like better, Western or Japanese food?"

The look on her face makes me think I just said something stupid, but she forces a smile. Suddenly she grips my arm and drags me along with her, "I think I know a place" her face a grin from ear to ear.

Skeleton leaves drift lazily in the wind. Bare trees sit bunch together, as if trying to retain warmth. Azaka is quiet as we walk down the well worn path, the wind whistling through gaps in the trees.

She had slowly walked next to me, a faraway look on her face as she watched couples holding hands by the riverside. The clear blue water rushed past with startling speed, like a sheet of glass, light reflecting off its wake.

A cerulean beauty waves to her ruby pair, the two jewelled beauties positively glowing in the light reflected off the azure water. Across the lithium shores children run playfully through reeds and tall grass, a dog not far behind.

The sounds of laughter caught in the wind, children calling out to one and other. Climbing trees while frantic parents look up in a shocked stupor, and in general, wreaking havoc on the unaware.

A blond haired man painted the scene in vivid detail, his eyes taking in everything, and somehow magically placing it onto canvas.

My eyes wander through the groups of people, enjoying the good weather while it lasted. The cold breath of winter held back, as if the cold witch herself was taken breathless by the scenery.

I peel myself away from the sight, following Azaka with mounting curiosity, just where was she taking me?

We stood in front of it in just a moment, a place that held a memory from this past July, Ahnenerbe.

"Ah" my breath caught in my throat, I hadn't expected her to bring me here, but she glided past and opened the door. Turning back, with a smile on her face, she asked innocently "well aren't you coming?"

"Ah" I could only say that, I took a step into the café, feeling like I had just walked several centuries into the past.

Behind me Azaka was smiling, wrapping herself around my arm and dragging me to an empty table. That smile suited her so well, her bright eyes positively glowing, her black hair swaying in a nonexistent breeze.

Suddenly another presence appears before me, a girl. She looked lost in this kind of place, or another way to put it; she always looked kind of lost. A person who just did not belong here, and yet, she felt like she should be there anyways. A paradoxical existence I couldn't even begin to explain.

She smiled, a pretty smile, her shoulder-length hair partially hiding her eyes. That's when I noticed, those vivid eyes, glowing violet. Azaka gasped, taken aback by her sudden appearance, but the initial shock gave way to calm recognition.

"Seo-san, what are you doing here?"

**Airplane**

The sound of grinding metal assaults my ears, mixed with the unmistakable scent of gunpowder.

A thousand things run through my head in that single moment, my frantic mind urging my stagnant body to move. But it's already too late, there is nothing to do, the bullet should be in her skull already.

But its not…why is he here, why is he standing there in front of me.

Tohno Shiki stands in front of us, the bullet on the ground smoking. In his hands are his glasses, still somehow in one piece. In a split second action, he had deflected a bullet already fired with his glasses.

The future had been altered; something in the great Occam's razor had shifted.

"HEY, those are mine!!" an inaudible roar erupts from Tohko as she pounces out of her seat. Like an angry, green-faced, semi-humanoid cat.

**Some distance away…**

The man lay bleeding on the black runway, both he and the voluptuous woman standing over him somehow invisible to everyone else. His every breath was agony, a metal cylinder, two feet in diameter, was impaled through his chest.

The cold eyes of a magus stared down at his face, blue eyes full of malice. Her red hair fell in a wave, alabaster skin clear of any complexion, save the anger that was radiating out of her.

The church and the association had never been on friendly terms, even if you wanted to stretch the definitions of friendly to its limits.

But never, in all their combined history, had such single minded hostility been focused on a single thing all at once.

Aozaki Aoko, Magic Gunner Miss Blue. The Human Missile Launcher, the fourth magic user and many other obscure titles.

Her intense gaze raked the man that lay before her, the man wore a simple black suit, but his ties were easy to see.

This man was a burier for the church, the man was an exorcist. And the man was a killer, his discarded weapon on the ground, its barrel empty of ammunition, spilled shells littering the ground around them in a circle.

Betrayal, this man had betrayed them. Betrayed the church, betrayed the mage's association, and worse, betrayed the world.

With the cold mask of a magus, Aoko quickly ended the man's life in a burst of pure energy, his body vaporizing in a single instant. The metal cylinder fell to the ground with a loud thud, rolling away down the tarmac.

"Shit, shit, shit." Aoko ran her hands through her hair, the shit-storm had begun, untold destruction about to begin, and this time it wasn't her fault. This is supposed to be a good thing; the end of the world wasn't her fault this time.

"FUCK" she yelled out, stamping the ground with her foot and leaving a large dent in the asphalt. With a deep sigh, finally calm, the crimson haired magus turned away from the pool of boiling blood. No sense in worrying about the problem, a solution was about to present itself.

Even if said solution wasn't aware of just how important she was, or was even aware of where she was. Such as it was, she wasn't even conscious.


	12. Chapter 11 Heaven's Corpse

Chapter 11: Heaven's Corpse

**Chapter 11: Heaven's Corpse**

**All in one and one in all**

Throw away the shell; cast aside the binding flesh of mortality and accept your true nature. Mankind is a parasite, a parasite that justifies its own existence, just like all things that live must.

Else mankind wouldn't be able to exist, how can it survive when reason tells it, it must die? Unwavering logic in the face of utter destruction, mankind is truly unique in that way.

To accept that mankind as a whole is a parasite is to accept that we should be cut off the host to protect it. That is too say, to protect the world, we must all die. So to protect the world, one must kill all they love, all they swore to protect, and themselves.

Such an end, it is a justifiable end, but is it the right one?

A thousand paths leading to this one defining moment, each step bringing you closer to the eventual choice that presents itself before you.

Trials and tribulations, death and betrayal, for you own ideals, you became an incomparable killer.

Tell me Emiya Shirou; can you kill them all, to save this forsaken world?

Can you kill the ones you love, to save others? Can you truly believe in that ideal until the world ends, by your own hands?

The blood will never be washed clean, blood can only be washed away be more blood. And the dead voices sing only to you, a sweet lament, for the one who hurts more than they.

Can you forsake your humanity; to save them, tell me Emiya Shirou, what is your answer? Death is their salvation, are you willing to give them that?

**Dead World**

_The spiralling clouds of my heart have always hid its scars_

We run the edge of hell, the sweet morning light shining through the burning trees. The blood brick road paves the way, the heat is unbearable. Still, we run, my eyes fixed on your unchanging back, running the edge of hell together.

_It becomes perplexed in its purity and honesty_

There is nothing left here, the city has been evacuated, the flying cross in the sky, the corpse of heaven before us. Iron angels flying through the red sky overhead, grains of ether dropping out of the sky.

_Your frozen-looking eyes, are staring at the sky in silence_

We run the edge of hell, towards the burning Eden, like banished Adam and Eve. The black fire snaking out and embracing trees in a lover's embrace, hiding the morning light behind a curtain of smoke.

_My falling, heaping up feels are wavering_

Still we run, towards the towering corpse, towards the angels sleeping form, the dead but undying. The fake angel smiles sadly, holding me tightly in her arms.

_Release the thousands of eternally-scattered radiant now…!_

"The sky, its red…"--

_I'm falling through the sky; the iron bird no longer heeds my calls. At the farthest limits of my memory, she comes to me._

_The angel smiles sadly, and shakes her head, "your and idiot."_

_I lay in her lap, my head rested carefully; she was warm, soft eyes staring at me intently._

"_I know I am, but I can't help it" I smiled, saying the same words, our roles reversed. "But why are you still here? Everyone else is gone, or dead, you could leave now…"_

_The angel smiles "__since that moment, I possessed you, and I can't leave you now."_

_Then with a wide grin she says something outrageous, "besides, I like this dream best."_

-- My mind has always been twisted. We run hand in hand, on the edge of hell, towards heaven's corpse.

_Ah, even if this hand lets go, the star of destiny tightly binds us together_

Falling through the sky, she grips me tightly, the iron bird leaking atmosphere, the wind rushing past my ears. I look up into the red sky, a one winged angel flies in the vermilion sky, like a fish in a red sea.

_Yes, may we be showered with plenty of flowing love…!_

I grip her tightly as well, as we fall into heaven's corpse, and die instantly.

_Searching for just the shape of the words you aimlessly spoke that day_

As the world around me ends, I hear her awaken, those ancient wings rising out of the ground. The form she had gained from her time here, made real, made whole, an angel.

_My quenched, satiated heart is swaying_

Its impossible for me to be hearing such a thing, is should already be dead, still my human mind lingers for just a moment.

_Release the millions of forever-overlapping thoughts now…!_

A roar of pain, such unbearable pain, whose scream is that, mine or is it hers? The corpse of heaven rises up; out of the dead city that was its coffin.

_Ah, even if we are torn apart from each other, the star will lead us back again someday_

I'm beyond my limits now, beyond what is possible, and in a voice that is calmer then it should be, "That's obvious. It's because--"

_Yes. The whole sky and its glittering love are playing our story_

A thousand angels fly through the sky, the corpse of heaven standing in the ruined city. My burnt out memory fades, and then everything goes black; there is nothing left, except that angel…and a kiss.

…_I deeply wished for the yet unseen light, far to the distance_

The cracked sky rumbles, dark clouds covering the red sky. The angels fly through the sky, the iron bird crashing into the ground bellow.

_Ah, even if this hand lets go, the star of destiny tightly binds us together_

None of that matters to me, only this impossible moment, as I am dead right now, yet still…

_Yes, may we be showered with plenty of flowing love…!_

"--I love you."

Yes, at the farthest limits of my memory, only that answer was different. The linger touch of her soft lips; I do not know who started it.

All around us, flowers bloom, this is what she really is, the most superior individual on Venus, an Aristotoles.

In this field of flowers, I meet my end, and this time I'm not alone…

**Haven**

Even after the world has ended, humanity still struggles onwards. A spiral of lies and betrayal, ever continuing for all eternity until the true end makes itself clear and the prophecies reach their end.

Striving to achieve a perfection that is ultimately flawed, for anything perfect can no longer exist, and we all wish to exist, don't we?

Casting aside the dead womb, we raise up with mortal hands, attaining a distant future. Amongst the ruins of great cities of stone and steel, roads paved black with blood, we fight for survival.

It has been so for thousands of years, the circumstances have just changed since then. Because now our mother is dead, so we are alone in this cold world, alone even amongst ourselves.

**November of the old Calendar **

_We lost another two today, accident with a blow torch. There have been so many deaths lately I have come to hate writing up the reports, and take less time to mourn with the others._

_The doc tells me it's called desensitization, she tried explaining it to me once, but there were too many big words so I didn't hear all that much._

_Yesterday I watched them burn the bodies, a few words spoken for the dead, comforting the grieving families. There are no funerals anymore; anything that can be burnt is used to keep the fire going, since without it, we would all be dead._

_Millennia since the first man discovered fire, and we are still reliant on it light and warmth, it's a rather humbling thing if you think about it. After all we have accomplished, this hearth is all that remains, the great cities of steel and stone crumbling into ruin._

I sigh, trying not to think on it, to much death, too much despair, too few children. This world is over, we all know it, and still we haven't kicked the bucket just yet.

I stare out at the dark red sky, ashen clouds blowing in from the west continent had produced some nasty acid rain. From this chair, I can see the entire compound, or what's left of the surface infrastructure.

When the ice caps finally melted seven hundred years ago, the hell that went on must have been unbearable. Caught between too extreme elements, and in the death thralls of a broken world, for seven hundred years it continued on like that, until the coming of the crimson moon, it's a wonder anyone survived.

Still, someone thought ahead and built a doomsday vault of all things. I stare out at the black metal surface, half submerged in a sea of burning hot water.

We have food, we recycle the water outside and sterilize it, and in the heart of the vault is a generator powered by a nuclear core and if necessary, more mundane things such as fire.

Yes, this is the last true city of mankind in the thirtieth century, we call it _Haven_.

**23XX Doomsday**

They said the world was over, we had finally done it, destroyed the world. I couldn't believe it; I couldn't believe how it could really be true. But on the screen there it was, a streak of smoke in the sky, the harbinger of the end.

I stare up into the cloud covered sky, and I can see them, see them approaching.

Nuclear war, it was never to have happened, it was never again to be repeated, and yet…

**Svalbard, Norway**

If hell was a place on earth, it truly would be here. A sea of fire stretching across the entire horizon, the ice caps long ago melted away turned into a boiling sea. The air was thick with the deadly smoke of nuclear radiation, the smell of death carried by the wind, bearing tidings of death and destruction.

The American Union, the combined might of the west continent, bringing its full military might on the world. The Pan-Eurasian government responding in kind, and the Russian military combine taking advantage of it all and waging war on both sides.

The result…untold death and destruction; brought on by the devastation of nuclear war.

A cloud of death would hang over the world for the next five hundred years. Singling the end of the old generation, and the beginning of the true end of the world…

Doomsday had finally come, the Ragnarok was at hand, and all they did was watch, as the world around them was swallowed up and lost.

History does not speak of those times, for those who remember that far are dead, and those who would speak of it are few.

But the men and women speak of it as if it where a fairy tale, a story about a woman who sits on a stone throne chained down by her own mind. A woman who watches the world from her silent throne; silently crying for the dead, and her long lost love.

**Castle Brunestud**

A thousand years after her long sleep, the night is finally over, and the princess is awakening.

The last remnant of a dead world, a creature of Gaia that should no longer be in existence, the last of the True Ancestors...The White Princess, Arcueid Brunestud of the Crimson Moon.

All the pieces are in place, the first moves have been made, now all is left is to watch the events unfold. I wonder what kind of end will be seen this time.


	13. Chapter 12 Heaven's Feel

Chapter 12: Heaven's Feel

**Chapter 12: Heaven's Feel**

**Future World**

"The war we spent these last ten years designing has begun" the old man smiled, cradling a bundle of cloth in his aged hands.

"The power of the Einzbern's will not go to waste, even if they no longer remain entwined in the grails fate."

The bundle of cloth writhed, a pale fleshy hand reached out and griped the old mans finger. Razor sharp teeth flash out in an instant and take his blood; the suckling of a creature that cannot be called human.

A child of magic; a homunculus: one that cannot be called human but bears human shape. The old man retracts his wrinkled finger, a faint smile on his wizened face, one of that of an old relative looking at a young child. But this man is not kind, far from it; there is not a trace of human kindness left in him now.

With innocent eyes, this child was brought into the world with full knowledge of the pain and despair that would await it. It was broken from the start, a doll that has no emotions, strangled in the darkness and waiting for some release from its torture. But there was none, and so it continued to break, becoming something other than human.

The sixth Grail, this child was to become the sixth grail, created from the remains of the last homunculus of Einzbern and the ancient magic's of the Makiri.

Makiri Zouken smiled in the darkness, feeding the child in his arms fresh blood, the corpse of a man held by his ankle in the middle of the room. Fresh blood, the warmth of it still lingering in the man's veins, even as he silently screams, transfixed by the insane reality that he is bearing witness too.

"Evangeline" Zouken speaks to the bundle in his arms; violet eyes open at the sound of his voice calling her name.

"Yes my father" a sweet voice like that of an angel, carrying power of man and beast.

"After you're finished with him, we have something to take care of" Zouken sets the bundle of cloth down on the stone floor, turning away and disappearing into the darkness.

"As you wish" the melodic voice responds, violet eyes glowing in the darkness.

The sound of rustling fabric, the cloth falls away, revealing a small girl, her long pale hair falling down to her waist. Violet eyes dilated in the near darkness, she wore no clothes, her lithe body elegant in its simplicity.

With a tentative step she walked forward, slowly gaining confidence in her ability to remain upright she moves faster. Reaching the man suspended in the air, his eyes silently pleading her to save him. Silently pleading for a girl that looked no more than thirteen to save him form his misery.

The doll smiled, a smile that was as fake as the emotion that went along with it, there was only misery and death. She would teach him that before he dies, she would teach him the truth about this world.

And then at the end, she would take from him his everything, and release him into the sweet embrace of death.

Reaching out with a pale hand, she traces the curve of his neck, griping his throat and bringing him closer to her face. Looking at him straight in the eye, those brilliant violet eyes flash for just a moment.

"Maybe you are my type after all…"

The girl that is more of a monster than a human smiles again, her fake smile silencing the man. Even he could understand how futile it was, even if he could still not except the reality.

The girl ran a hand across her bare chest, a mixture of sensations running through her seemingly frail body.

"…I'm going to break you now."

With a simple fluid movement, the bone broke; a clean cut right across the shin. Blinding pain assails the man, but she doesn't stop, griping his numb hands with delicate fingers and breaking them one at a time.

All the while her face was blank, unfeeling, and unaware of the tears streaming down her face. And so the man screamed, cursing the reality he was living in, cursing the gods that had forsaken him, and cursing the demon that had turned what should have been innocence into the girl that was before him.

"…ah…you're all out of things to break"

Through the tears and searing pain, the man opens a cracked eye, looking up at the pale haired girl that stands above him. She had no shame, bearing herself fully to him, watching him die as he bloodied the floor around her.

Then she bent down, touching his cheek with tender grace, all the while her violet eyes stare straight back at him.

"…goodbye"

His neck breaks, the girl called Evangeline cradles his head in her arms, drinking the blood from his neck. Ignorant of the tears streaming down her face, she desperately clings onto the hope of salvation, but even that is lost, there is nothing, nothing left.

"…I am just a doll" she says that aloud, as if trying to tell herself that this feeling in her chest cannot be true. But the pain is still there, just washed away by even more pain, until there is nothing.

Empty.

**Einzbern Forest, Fuyuki**

The Castle of Einzbern in Fuyuki had fallen into ruin. The great hall was full of rubble and debris, its great pillars struggling to carry the weight of the majestic work of architecture.

Through these halls, a man and woman walked, the man wore a face of fixed indifference, but his anger shone through his eyes.

"To think it would fall into such disarray in such a short time" the woman spoke, running her hand along a dusty pillar. Turning her back to the man she spoke softly "you didn't have to come here with me…"

The man's face clouded over into a frown, his eyes widening. In the center of the hall a pale haired girl stood, her violet eyes looking straight at him.

"Jubstacheit von Einzbern" the girl before him smiles, the smile of a girl that should be dead.

"_Illyasviel, it cannot be you…"_

The child bore the image of a girl twenty-one-years dead, such a striking resemblance it knocks the man back.

"Acht" she hissed between pursed lips, she will not be swayed by this child, how could she be? She has never known this child; she has never known my own cousin, such is the life of an Einzbern magus.

The girl bursts forwards, like a bat out of hell. The world swam for a moment, as the air distorted behind her, hair blowing behind her.

The distinct ringing of a sword sounded out in the abandoned castle, the first since its ruination.

Steel met with flesh and for an impossible moment was pushed back, met with more resistance than should have been possible.

"Get out of my way"

A sound that was barely a whisper, graced by the wind it was heard by all. She retreated more in shock of the words then their meaning. With one look the girl before her froze her in place, and with another she was on her knees.

"Good girl"

A demon, a devil, something inhuman, that's what this girl is, it's the only explanation left. With just a look, she was brought to her knees, with just a look; her entire body had seized up and refused to move.

The girl stands in front of Acht, staring at him with a blank look on her pale face.

"Jubstacheit von Einzbern"

The girl repeats, as if confirming who it was she was talking to, her eyes where fixed on his.

She can't move, she can't even speak, everything in my body is frozen solid, and she wants to scream.

"Jubstacheit von Einzbern, you will die now"

The man falls to his knees, his eyes fixed on the unblinking eyes of a specter of a dead girl, an unreal phantasm made whole. Still, something was wrong, and as the black wind of death approached he realized his folly.

Yes, that girl was truly dead, this girl may look the same, but they are not.

**Church Basement**

The official start of the grail war, a war instigated by a man not of this time, Kotomine Kirei smiled as he looked at the face of the man who stood before him. Though he had not lasted through the fifth grail war, and was ultimately killed in the end, by some saving grace, or ill as the chances are, this man appeared and saved him.

The very man who had defeated him, it was such sweet irony that not even deaths icy grip could keep him.

"Emiya Shirou, how goes the war that you have begun?"

The spirit board before them lit up as he spoke, a list of names appearing in smoking writing.

_Saber, Status: Present  
Archer, Status: Present  
Lancer, Status: Present  
Caster, Status: Present  
Rider, Status: Present  
Berserker, Status: Present  
Assassin, Status: __Present_

"What of the other you in this timeline, surely Tohsaka and that boy will react to this." Kotomine spoke softly, recalling the boy who had killed him, and the girl that was his former charge.

"Leave him to me; I will take care of the both of them" Emiya Shirou turned away from the priest, gazing down at his daughter from another time.

The only flaw in his plan, he had never expected to see her here, not now, not so soon. But this was still a part of the plan, a few adjustments and all would be well, but if the plan has been affected so early on, what will happen later on?

Either way, this promise will be kept, for that is certain, and all that this Emiya Shirou lives for now.

**Clock Tower**

_In the deepest darkest part of my memory I can still see it, the burning of a thousand souls in a seemingly never ending fire. And a woman embraces me with all her heart, even as her flesh was torn apart by hellish fires. More of a corpse than a human now, I can barely recognize her face, but those bright eyes held such kindness._

_The only memory I still hold of that time, pushed back into the deepest recesses of my mind, pushed back into a little section of my thoughts and forgotten for a time. Until I should choose to remember it, and remember that person, remember that person that could only be my mother._

_I do not know her name, I do not even know my own name anymore, and I am known as Emiya Shirou now._

_Still, this memory that I do not even understand lingers in my broken mind, even after all these years it remains._

_The roaring inferno engulfs everything, tearing apart the walls and ceiling with reckless abandon. She holds me in her arms, and whispers something in my ear._

_And just like every other time I reach this point, I feel the world return, and I miss the last thing my mother spoke to me before her death._

I awoke with a start, after the burning inferno of my dreams this room feels deathly cold. My heartbeat sounds so loud in my ears, like an alarm blaring in the silence.

A pale moon sheds light into the room, casting shadows and creating monsters in the dark. My eyes take their time to adjust to the dark; I hold my head in my hands rubbing the sweat off my face.

A soft knock at the door and someone opens the door slightly ajar. Bright blue eyes and raven hair, her eyes narrowed as she slipped into the room. Shutting the door behind her she pounced onto the bed, the mattress squeaking because of the added weight.

"Rin…" I began to say but was stopped by the movement to my side, as a violet haired girl popped out of the covers.

"Ah…nee-san"

"Sorry, Sakura, but you're going to have to share tonight" said Tohsaka Rin, her hands reaching out griping my shoulders.

I could smell the stench of alcohol on her breath, see her flushed face in the darkness, and the heave of her chest as she came closer.

"Rin, your drunk"

"And your still dressed" she replied, pulling at the covers and slipping out of her clothes as she spoke.

I tried to respond but Sakura stopped me with her mouth, and the world faded out for a moment, and then there was no resistance left in me.


	14. Chapter 13 Death

Chapter 13: Death

**Chapter 13: Death**

**Kotomine Church, Hillside**

Time seemed to stop, the rain that fell out of the heavens seemingly growing sluggish in its fall. As if gravity had just decided it didn't want to make things fall anymore, as if there was no air anymore. Impossible moments seem to be made more possible. Then everything came back to normal, and the man stared death in the face. Caster recently defeated and without a master, stared back.

In the cold night, a fated meeting between two similar beings, long faded seals re-etched themselves into skin. And the master less became bound, to a man named Kotomine Kirei.

The Loa smiles, for his last master was but a puppet, nothing but mana, no will of its own, and thusly stupid. More stupid than thought possible and it was the end of the fool, and his death faster and less painful than it should have been.

"I am your master"

The priest speaks immediately; there was no room for arguments in his voice. Caster bowed smiling, this master would do nicely.

The two's meeting was interrupted abruptly by an explosive blast of power from 6 feet away, as a shadowy form materialized into existence.

Or so it would seem to a normal person, but this being had been following Caster for quite some time.

Servant Lancer summoned his weapon, red eyes hidden behind his deathly visage. The Servant Caster likewise the same, face hidden by bone.

"Oh? We have company so soon."

Death stared death right back in the face, two beings of similar origins, each a specter of the darkness from their respective lands.

"**Lakwa: Baron of Death****"**

The weapon-less Caster acts first, and as he speaks those words, the sky lights up as if painted crimson. A shadowy face appears in the sky, and then another, and then another. A thousand crimson skulls, sunken eyes flashing golden yellow and screaming with terrible voices.

Caster's Noble Phantasm; an otherworldly thing, the summoning spirits from a place outside of this world, in this way, Caster truly earned the name Baron of Death, for he is their ruler.

In the middle of this calamity, stands the Lancer Thanatos, the messenger of death. In a flash he is in the sky, a whirlwind of sound and light. The two masters watch their servants, black on black, death against death.

Ordinarily a person would not be able to witness this, but as everyone is unique, there are often exceptions to this. Servants are in spiritual things, not to be viewed by the eyes of mankind, or even other magi.

Still on this night, unknown to both, someone watched, frozen by the sheer enormity of the battle played out before, and the face of a man she knows well.

"Ryuusuke, what are you doing here…"

A bare whisper, a slip of the tongue, it is all lost in the rushing winds in front of her, lost in the storm of death and destruction.

The road has been ripped up; sewage pipes shown in the ground, pounded against the rain that still faithfully fell out of the sky.

The human mind couldn't comprehend this; no amount of TV could even bring a person close to this. A person will not truly understand something until they experience it and no ordinary person would ever come across such a thing.

Desensitization to things has greatly increased over the years, to the point where children revel in the thing to do with death and law breaking. But to stare actual death in the face, even the hardiest of men would break out in sweat.

So it was by some small miracle that she still stood watching this feat of enormous strength as servants from another age flaunted it.

Rooted to the ground that itself wasn't firmly planted any longer, a girl named Harehiro Kaori nearly wet herself.

Like a hurricane of carrion crows, the servant Lancer flew through the sky, tearing through the Loa, a black shadow tearing through the crimson sky full of screaming death.

Lights and sounds, everything seems to blend together in a seemingly impossible moment, the world bending around itself to compensate for the loss of air.

An explosion of violet light, the sky lights like midday and balls of fire fall to the earth, tearing gaping holes in the ground with the force of their impacts.

The servant Caster is named so for a reason, a truly gifted mage, and not quite entirely sane. A spirit of vengeance and benevolence; Baron La Croix, Baron of the Cross, A Loa of death, and a spirit that would not have been summoned in previous grail wars.

The grail created this time is broken, broken in ways that cannot be repaired; still, it functions in a way none could predict. Caster is just one of the anomalies created by the imperfect system, and the broken grail that struggles to remain functioning.

**Guédé**

The man with a white top hat and sunglasses, though in bad style looked rather flashy. If not for the cotton plugs stuffed up both nostrils and the striking resemblance to a fresh cadaver, one could almost fall for such a man being human…almost.

His skull like face was in fact, just a skull, and a nasally voice emanated from somewhere in its depths, coming out slightly muffled, or like a far away echo.

This man or a better description would be thing, for it is no longer of this world, but he will still do fine. He, the man who stood at the crossroads of souls is Baron Samedi, Saturday to some and Mr. White to a few confused fellows.

Not far away, someone who vaguely resembled a priest…if said priest had a hairdo from the 1970s and looked a lot like beetle juice in some instances, then yes, he was a priest, stood. His name was Baron Cimetiére, or Mr. Black.

Despite the unoriginality of their names, Mr. White, and Mr. Black where some of the most respected people around, what with being dead, and revered by all of Haitian.

Missing from the trio was the last of the Baron aspects, as La Croix had some unfortunate business to take care of. Well not truly business, as being dead frees you of any earthly limitations, or deadlines.

But a quick game of rock, paper, and scissors quickly decided which of the three would get the cosmic boot down to earth to fight in a war they didn't really care about to begin with.

The two left over aspects watched the third aspect through some form off hive mind, though the three still kept their individuality.

"He is getting his ass kicked"

"Mr. Pretty just got kicked in the face"

"Oh look, he got him by the leg"

"This is such a waste of time"

"Better than watching Fox News…"

The odd commentary went on for a few more moments before both aspects got bored and settled in to watch. One would almost expect them to pull out lazy-boy chairs and big buckets of popcorn, but they both just stood silently watching the long played out battle.

And the, suddenly in a more serious voice, Samedi spoke "he knows the outcome of this already."

"Yeah, long before we even started this charade," responds Cimetiére in a bored voice, already losing interest.

Mr. White turned away, lighting a cigarette and draining the last of a flash of amber liquid. With a wave he walked away, vanishing like smoke, leaving Cimetiére alone, before he too left for his duties.

**Kotomine Church, Hillside**

The world shimmers in the heat, the air distorting everything into a blurry mess. Half melted pipes stand erect in the broken field, like metallic markers, telling the tale of destruction left in the two servants wake.

A blanket of silence permeated the area, drowning everything in it, except for the sounds of a lingering battle in the far off distance.

Like a carrion crow servant Lancer watches, red eyes ever vigilant, never blinking. And Caster, a specter of death itself watched with an air of indignation, pulling out a silver goblet and drinking from it.

Despite knowing the outcome of this battle well in advance, there was a certain need to prove that maybe there was a small chance that they were wrong.

"Stop holding back m'boy, its time to settle this fools battle."

As he speaks, the goblet falls to the ground and shatters, hundreds of pieces of glass exploding out like a flower, swept away in the wind.

"**The Ultimate Universal Experience, Death"**

"**Erishkigal"**

The two voices blend together in the gathering wind, if Lancer was a carrion bird, then Caster was a man-eating plant. Both patient and cunningly intelligent in design; predators by nature, and equally tuned to death.

So at this display of magnificent death; neither would flinch and neither would stand down nor back away, death was rushing towards them, and they embraced it with open arms.

In a world black as night, eyes that cannot see anything else finally close. A fated end already long ago ordained, brought to reality.

Destiny, fate, no, this is just a possibility, there is no true answer to the question, there is no right or wrong path this time.

There never was to begin with, who is to say what is right and what is wrong? Either way, the path has already been walked on, there is nothing left but to see it to the end. Whatever end it would be, good or bad, dark or light, it will be an end.

An end to it all and that's something I wish for now.

_The voice of the migrating bird fades again_

Blinded by white-hot light, my eyes burn even behind my eye lids, I can feel the world fall away, and the rushing of air.

I fall to the ground; sprawled eagle amongst the rubble and ruin, eyes shut closed, ears still ringing. Somewhere in my mind, I acknowledge how truly lucky I am to be alive, but I want to keep my eyes shut, unable to look for fear of what might be there.

Like the bogey-man, or some monster from Pennsylvania, or archaic and old like Dracula. I can't open my eyes; they are glued shut by the fear of the unknown. But I know I am going to have to open my eyes eventually, open my eyes and face the darkness.

I'm not a child anymore, I don't fear the monsters under the bed, I'm not afraid of the shadows on my wall. What I'm really afraid of, is people, at some point, I became fearful of myself and others, of the potential inside of us all.

I'm afraid of what I could become.

_The single fragment that revives the days of childhood_

A monster like those in fiction; a cold heartless person who is dead inside that's what I fear the most. But in my heart of hearts I know that cant be true, because I fell in love with you didn't I?

_It's true_

This paradoxical thing called love; I confused this emotion and blinded myself to the truth. You once said I was beautiful, and all I could do was repeat what you said, I can't say anything else, because I'm afraid of what my happen.

_Surely, this world is merely a moment_

I'm afraid of what would happen if I said I loved you, and you turned into that monster I fear. That monster that lurks in the back of my head that monster that is hidden in us all, watching and waiting.

_In any case, we are alone, even in our last days_

How can I truly know this is love? Why, I cannot, but this beating in my chest, that feeling in my heart every time I look at your face, I cannot ignore it. This reaction I can't control, I both hate and love you for it.

_Words cast themselves softly over the shadow that spreads underfoot_

I told myself I would wait for you, I would wait until I could be sure, but instead my feet followed your distant back. I found myself following you, my gaze never faltering, my steps with purpose.

I followed you to this field of death, so why can't I open my eyes now?

_I realized that the real end is now something I can't find_

Why can't I open my eyes and face that fear, why can't I stare into your face and tell you those things I couldn't say before. Why am I so useless when it matters, why am I so weak when it comes to you.

_The sky that sweeps over me is a lament_

Like a newborn child I slowly open my eyes, but the light makes my eyes water, tears streaming down my face. Still I force them open, past the blinding light, to stare at your unchanging form.

_I close my eyes_

My eyes blurred with tears, I cannot see you as you are, but in my mind you are smiling. You were always smiling when I was near, and I think I was too.

_I lost the light_

The darkness seeps back in, my eyes fall shut, I can't stare into the brilliance any longer. My mind can't take the purity of it; I am an imperfect thing after all.

_I pay no heed to the now-distant singing_

Wind like a Roman Catholic choir sings in the night air, the light begins to fade, revealing the outcome of a long drawn out battle.

_It's true_

In the center of it all, the two stand; both looking at each other with a look that resembles admiration. Like long lost comrades, brothers in arms from a different time, they are not the sort that should be fighting here.

_This world is a cacophony_

The predetermined battle ends, as Caster falls to the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces. Like glass his body broke apart and vanished; as if he was never truly there to begin with.

_Somehow, alone, I will melt into time_

Nobody would recognize his vanishing, with no ties to the world, the Servant Caster, Baron La Croix vanished in silence.

_The shadow that shines underfoot burns the morning sun into my back_

The Priest Kotomine Kirei walked away, his battle already over; he was just awaiting the outcome. There was nothing left here, so he vanished into the night, like a shadow amongst shadows.

_My heart was just scorched and frozen in place by lonely dreams_

I slowly raise myself off the ground, my eyes struggling to focus in the now lost light. The world seems to swim, as if the air had turned into a wide ocean.

_The path I begin to tread is a lament_

Not far away he stands, my heart stops beating in my chest, I seize up and want to cry.

_It's true_

He stands there, his servant in front of him; he stands there, like a monster out of fiction. This was the man I love, and the thing I hate, my fragile heart is about to explode.

_Surely, this world is merely a moment_

Time seems to slow down, I can hear my heart beat faster, I sense him feel my gaze, see him turn around; see the shock on his face.

_In any case, we are alone, even in our last days_

The shock that mirrors my own; a face full of pain and promise, I wonder, did my face look like that as well.

The world I had built up around me falls apart, I'm scared, I'm scared of this, and yet I have already decided.

_Words cast themselves softly over the shadow that spreads underfoot_

Those words are held on my lips, eager to be released, but instead I walked towards him with conviction.

_I realized that the real end is now something I can't find_

I don't know where this path is headed; I don't know what this life will end up as, but I'm still walking towards him.

_The shadow that shines underfoot burns the morning sun into my back_

We stand face to face, I'm shorter than him so I have to look up, but I don't mind, nothing in this world matters anymore.

I'm still afraid, still afraid of the outcome to it all, but I won't have to burden myself alone anymore, not now.

_My heart was just scorched and frozen in place by lonely dreams_

"Hey, fancy meeting you here."

_The path I begin to tread is a lament_

I smile at him, placing and hand on his cheek and leaning in close, "it must be destiny then."

My world up to now fell apart with a kiss, my fears blown away by his form pressed to mine. Locked in an embrace, I felt complete, I don't know where this life will take me…but that's okay, I'm not afraid anymore.


	15. Chapter 14 Sheppard

Promise

**Chapter 14: Sheppard**

Even though I felt like just a little bit more pressure and this dream that became reality would break. I still stood firmly on this ground, hoping against hope I would never wake up. Such bittersweet agony, in the face of a world that was lost, I don't think I could ever go back there.

Back to that time when I couldn't understand my own emotions; back to that time when I wandered through life, ignorant of my surrounds.

This is reality, I am sure of it, a sure of it as the warmth in my fingertips, and the heat on my face. I feel like a schoolgirl all over again, burying my face into his chest, I want to stay here like this.

But not all that we want can be attained, this world is not built that way, and no matter how hard we try, some things are lost forever.

Flames ignite; the world in my vision swims for a moment, before contorting into some twisted form of reality.

Eyes burning like angry coals, with a face turned black by the intensity of the fires that surrounded the behemoth of a man. In his hands was gripped a sword that burned with the intensity of a star. The only light in the darkness, not a guiding light, one of death, like that of the final sight before death.

The rushing of wind, the fires of the giant die out; the man steps forwards, eyes glowing with madness.

He is surely mad, raw passion and burning rage, this man is the bare minimum of human emotion. I don't even think he can really be called a man, a giant by our standards, standing over 10 feet tall, with rippling muscles.

I want to scream, I want to run, and I want to be anywhere but here. But my voice is lost, my feet are frozen, and I am here no matter how much I don't want to be.

At the bare limits of sanity, I hear a voice speak "Berserker."

Then the ground is rushing towards me, the courage it took me to just walk collapses, the rushing air feels nice. I don't even feel the impact of the ground; I just hear the sound of clashing steel, and the sound of a man speaking to me.

Then everything goes dark, and I dream.

The wind picks up, gale force like a hurricane. Specks of rain hit me in the face only to sizzle away from the heat the giant before me emits.

I think I'm dreaming.

This clear headache in my head is steadily growing stronger; my will is weakening in the face of impossibility. I feel her fall to the ground, I watch with an absent mind, not understanding it all.

Not understanding the oncoming storm, not understanding the approaching death. I don't understand it, nothing, it doesn't make any sense.

So fast, I didn't sense anything, and now I'm going to die.

The approaching blade comes into view, like a burning sun in the darkness. White-hot and brilliant, I can't help but admire its beauty.

I can't help but admire it as a human, and a magus, yeah, at the last moment alive, I finally accept myself.

"Sorry Kaori…"

The blade slices through flesh, I don't feel any pain, and I don't feel a thing, just the jarring impact of my body being disintegrated.

Heart, body, mind, everything is swallowed up and lost. In the distant sky a star falls down to earth, and a tear streaks down my face.

Pushing past the limits of my time, pushing past earthly limitations I force words out, words of binding.

"_Promise me…"_

The black servant looks down at my charred face, I see him nod, even before I feel the burning of my command seals disappearing.

"…_fight for what you truly believe in."_

The last words of a dying man, the words of a man, not a magus.

_In love with the maiden, the flower of winter_

What if we never died…what kind of world would that be?

Would we care for each other as we do now? Would we still be the people we are, free of the fear of an impending end, would we still cherish the time we have?

_Lowbrow children, in grove of the inland_

I can't even dream of such a world, it shouldn't exist; it is not for us mortal children. We live because our time is so short, we take pride in our imperfection and try and achieve something worthwhile with this small life we all share.

_How many times heart's gone through the grinder_

Still, I would not wish this fate upon anyone else, to be the one to cut life short, it is not something one can easily do.

_Wherever you look there's a painful reminder  
_

I am death, the thief in the night, stealer of hearts and breathe. The specter of death, the avatar of judgement, I have many names, but I am called Thanatos.

_Singing a love song, words of a stranger_

The very will of a dying race, I am the driving force of change. The wish for a better tomorrow, made flesh by human will.

_The howling miller, never to face her  
_

I am death.

_Temple of the evil, Temple of the weak_

The catalyst for change, since humanities first steps I have watched them. And as they stumble and fall from their path, I guide them back to it.

An endless journey, I am their Sheppard.

_No one knows how bad he feels_

These tears they will never see these tears for the ones that have lost their way. Fled with fear, lost in the darkness never to see the way again. The broken wings of angels litter the way, the corpses of children like lanterns on the broken plains.

_Late-night innuendo, temptation of the key_

I am death.

_"Live with the Black sheep, live with me"  
_

These foolish children continue their foolish ways, expiring before their times, and every time I great them they fall to tears.

_Insanity, blessing for those born to hate you_

Regret for their choices, regret for their misdeeds, unable to except their ends they flee from my very image.

_Burned by the embers of love, it is so cruel_

Yet they cannot see my regret as well, I do not wish for such an end.

_Howling the night, for sun of the midnight_

The cold night screams for blood, the wind ripping around the nameless fears and shadows of the night.

The Black Servant raises his weapon, black rain falls out of the sky now, his dark lance at gripped firmly in his hands.

_Serving the people, condemned you in the eternal night_

In the dark night the two lock together. Berserkers burning blade tearing through the air, a stream of superheated air in its wake.

A hush has fallen on the world around them, no sounds except that of a futile battle.

_Of the lost song, words of the stranger_

On the ground, the two lie dying, so far apart, yet so close. Their words will never reach the other, but still they speak them.

_The howling miller, never to face her_

Even in a dream, they say those words to each other, so that the words left unspoken wont keep them down anymore.

_Temple of the evil, temple of the weak_

"I love you"

_No one knows how bad he feels_

A fleeting human emotion, an indescribable, confusing, and powerful thing, with that they fade away. Even as the world around them is swept up in the flames of destruction, and a futile battle continues.

_Late-night innuendo, temptation of the key_

Words that will never be heard carried away by the winds and lost forever.

_Live with the Black Sheep, live with me!  
_

"…_fight for what you truly believe in."_

_Temple of the evil, temple of the weak_

I fight so that things like this wont happen anymore; your lives are too short for such tragedy.

_No one knows how bad he feels_

Everyone gets what nobody deserves, in this broken world we strive for something more, and end up with nothing.

_Late-night innuendo, temptation of the key_

I think I regret not being able to save those two's lives, that's why I am still fighting. Such foolish reasons to continue this meaningless battle, I already know my time is up, even with this last gift I have so little time.

_Live with the Black Sheep, live with me!  
_

The Black Lancer steps away from the burning blade as it falls downwards and cleaves through a steel pipe.

_Temple of the evil, temple of the weak_

"Tell me…why do you fight?"

_No one knows how bad he feels_

The Burning Berserker doesn't answer, he cannot answer, and his Master won't allow it.

_Late-night innuendo, temptation of the key_

I can feel myself fading away, my time is already up, but there is someone else who can take up what I could not do.

_Live with the Black Sheep, live with me!_

I turn to the man that stands behind me, "will you take up my charge?"

The man stares me down, but doesn't speak.

Out of the darkness the Servant Rider walks, even as the Servant Lancer turns and fades away. Drawing his sword, he rushes into the inferno.


	16. Chapter 15 Burning Bridges

**Chapter 15: Burning Bridges**

The Berserker charges forwards, kicking up asphalt. Already disregarding the lost Lancer and accepting a new target.

The burning blade in his hands is nothing more than a bludgeoning object. A burning, magical, and extremely destructive bludgeoning object and it was in the hands of a ten-foot insane giant.

"Woo, you smell something awful reds."

Rider says something incredible while looking down at the burning Berserker from the hilt of his sword.

Berserker answers with a roar, tearing apart the ground around him with the sword he dragged behind him.

The two servants crash into each other, like a mini-apocalypse and an earthquake all at once. There was a loud clap as air rushed to fill the gap, and the dust blew in all directions.

A deafening rumble reverberated around. A hard impact in the ground, like a storm of lightning concentrated on one area. A dizzying flash of light, that threatened to turn night into day, and a roar that boomed louder than any thunder heard by man or beast.

A chariot encased in a roaring storm of lightning explodes into existence. And before Berserker could even register what was going on, he was trampled beneath it.

The divine bulls charge skywards, leaving the burning Berserker laying facedown on the asphalt.

Rider sat atop his chariot as if nothing had just happened, picking his ear with one of his fingers.

Via Expugnatio - Distant Trampling Domination, Rider's Noble Phantasm.

Berserker was not defeated yet however, far from it. His body crushed by impossible weight, his mind lost from the beginning. All these things did not matter, nothing but the sword held in his hands mattered.

And so with a roar he called out the name of the thing which he treasures most. Even without thought, it comes to him easily.

"**Laevantein"**

The true power of the fabled blade unleashes itself in a single moment. In Berserkers hands the sword of revenge blazes, adding a blood red colour to the twilight of the whole world.

Gimlé Gylfaginning.

The blade slices through the air, burning the world as it passes. Rider atop his chariot turned his face to the sky, watching the red tinted sky.

With a might roar the chariot falls to the earth, battling the raging inferno. The burning world is swept up into ruin, as the sky splits in two.

**Emiya Household**

For the better part of the last decade, the house had stood silent, cared for by no one. Ever since its last occupant went off into a foreign land, leaving it collect dust in his absence.

As a tainted red sky blossoms, the man returned. To this place in Fuyuki, the place he once called his home.

Two familiar figures stand beside him at the estates gates. A girl with raven hair coloured hair a perplexed expression on her face. And a violet haired girl who seemed to be apologizing profusely for something, her head bent down low.

"I'm sorry, I forgot the keys"

"Its okay Sakura, I was thinking of changing the lock anyways"

The Auburn haired man smiles, no longer the youth he once was, yet still somehow the same as before. With a small click the lock breaks apart, as wood is cut and metal ruined in a moment of precise destruction.

Half opening the gate, the three enter the grounds, each having their own separate spell of nostalgia.

Everything is silent in the twilight night except for the sound of medium-weight suitcases being dragged behind them.

Then out of the darkness light flares. Glowing orbs of bright yellow, like a cat in the night it explodes out of the abandoned house with inhuman speed.

All the while a terrible screech on its lips, carried by the wind it sounded like…

"SHIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUU"

Like a bullet it charges right into Emiya Shirou with the force of falling piano, tackling him to the ground before anyone could even blink.

Atop his chest a shuddering form beats him with balled up fists, a low whining escaping from its lips.

"F-fujimura-sensei!?" Rin stares at her with wide eyes.

"Why did you leave for so long?"

The former teacher's voice slurs mid speech giving her the impression that she was trying to speak in a different language but failing miserably. So her question goes unanswered since no one could comprehend what she was talking about anymore.

In a few short moments she turned into a ball of sobs and refused to let go of Shirou, claiming that she had to "look after him."

**Elsewhere…**

The house was empty now, understandable since it had been ten years since he had been nearly ten years since he had last been here.

Rider sat in the middle of the room, staring intently at the small screen held delicately in his massive hands.

"Hoho, Waver our next campaign should be to take over this 'middle earth' it seems interesting!"

Waver face palms, already trying to come up with some way to explain to Rider that it wasn't real, and not looking forward to it.

But something else took precedence over this, a lingering dread for what was to come. And that Berserker; burning while wreathed in blood and reeking of death.

**Half an hour before…**

The sky split like an eggshell. The world swept up in the destruction, fires burning everywhere, and an unequalled wind blew in all directions.

Lightning raced across the cracked pavement in zigzags, ripping apart the already charred surface. The rampant fires burn higher; consuming air and choking themselves in their own smoke.

This is a place that has lost its function. Still, in its center two figures linger, with twin roars they bend reality with their wills.

Across the split sky the world turns white, like legendary Eden's sky, pure and immaculate. And then the darkness rushes in once more, and the world returns to its twilight state.

The solitary form of Rider stands opposite of Berserker, Riders arm burnt to nearly nothing, bone showing through cracked skin.

In a moment of quick decision, he had sacrificed his right arm to deflect the fire skywards. A fire that had burned the world over, such was its legend.

A man walks up behind Rider; gaunt looking and with a tired face, the after effects of jet-lag and late-night planning.

Waver Velvet squinted at the figure of Berserker from across the divide between them.

"Rider, you lost an arm" he comments, still trying to see the Berserker through the haze of smoke and debris.

Rider stares down at the burning husk of an arm that now hung limply at his side and sniffed at it.

"Bah, you should see what I did to the other guy" he retorts, motioning with his neck, in Berserkers direction.

Through a patch in the ashen haze, Berserker stood like a statue of molten steel, pale grey eyes searching without focus. A large chunk of his abdomen ripped apart leaving a hole the size of a cannonball in his side.

Waver quickly assesses the situation; turning away he beckons Rider to follow him. Rider stares at him for a moment, groans and then follows, his burnt arm swinging like a cat-clock's tail.

**Present**

Waver stares up at the ceiling, Rider continues playing whatever it was he got his hands on. His arm was still charcoal black, but at least now retained its normal shape, even if it was still bleeding oddly coloured blood at times.

The tiresome thing was that Rider didn't seem to care that his arm had been burnt to a crisp, if anything he probably enjoyed it.

"Hoho, this Er-Murazor guy is a formidable adversary!"

Waver shakes his head in wonder at the servant that enjoys playing decade old games.

Staring out at the twilight sky, just before dawn, the palest of pinks touches the horizon. Wavers settles in to watch the run rise, a moment of calm, just before the storm to come.

**Einzbern Forest, Fuyuki**

The light is blinding, the sun in the sky is relentless, burning into my retinas, the searing image roaring into my brain.

I am empty.

I raise myself off the ground, ignoring the pain, the pain is constant, and it is nothing to be fearful of.

I stand atop the remains of a grand staircase, rubble and decaying remains litter the way, and in the center of the ante chamber a mains corpse lays like a macabre statue.

I pause for a moment, there is a corpse missing, the girl that was with the man. She is gone now, but that is of no importance.

I walk down the stairs, careful to avoid the broken steps and avoid the still falling debris. At the bottom of the step I pause once more.

A lingering thing, I feel compelled to stare upon that man's face once more. His heart torn out of his chest, his legs bent and broken, arms twisted like a screw. But his face, his face was calm, his eyes still open stare back into my own.

Eyes that are the same as mine, I break the gaze of a dead man, walking past his corpse.

A hand reaches out and grasps my arm as I walk past him; the corpse turns his head and opens its mouth wide.

"Take what is yours child of Sin and Seraphim."

The jaw snaps shut and the corpse is silent, its grip on my arm releases and returns to its immobile state.

Etched on my arm are sigils, a blossoming rose with a cross in its center, and six symbols at the points of the rose's petals.

As fast as it had appeared, it faded away and left only a small black cross on my arm. I stare at it for a moment, and then back at the corpses face.

His eyes were closed now, as if he were sleeping. I pause, and then raising my arm I remove his head from his body, and throw it behind me.

I can hear the call clearly now, the call to return to that man in his dark underground place. I don't want to return, but I am a doll, I am useless without my master.

I am a doll.

I have to be, because a human wouldn't be able to do such things. I am empty of those things that make up a human.

Still, somewhere deep inside, I mourn the death of the man who is like my grandfather, but it is washed away by even more pain.

This constant agony is breaking me; I have to be empty, so that nothing else gets broken.

In the dark forest, I make way back to that dark place.

**Empty World**

The gentle pattering of rain wakes me up. It's warm; I'm wrapped in a soft feather blanket, in a bed that isn't my own.

I stare up at the unfamiliar ceiling, then turning my head to the side I see a man sitting in a chair just opposite the bed I lay in.

The room was bare except for the man, the bed, and the chair. The chair was of carven oak, beautiful craftsmanship and painstakingly detailed.

The man opens his eyes, tired eyes that show a wealth of experience, his cracked face wrinkles further as he smiles.

"I thought you would never wake up."

I stare at him, my mind drawing up blank, he seems to be just an ordinary old man but something is nagging at the back of my mind.

He smiles again standing up and turning his back, reaching for the doorknob I stop him. "Wait, who are you?"

He glances back and winks "I'm just a regular old man." He vanishes from sight as the door swings shut behind him.

On that chair where he sat, is a small thing, a jewel the shone like the rainbow, a kaleidoscope of colour.

Kaleidoscope…

I pick up the jewel and run to the door, but the man is already gone. In the empty hallway I stand alone.


	17. Chapter 16 Touch Faith

**Chapter 16: Touch Faith**

_Take a look into another world, where history didn't fare as it should, and something's were lost forever._

**Proto-World**

Kicked to the curb, nothing but these fading lights, the world is some Technicolor shit, flashing lights with no substance.

Fractured out trip, a never-ending loop of audiovisual propaganda, I shake my head trying to get the images out of my head.

Staggering past faceless people, past things and objects that should not be but are there nonetheless, I step into this naked place.

The trees bare no hidden spirit, cold and lifeless, like statues of fallen heroes they mark the way. The cold brick walls close in on me, nothing but this dead place surrounded by hollow people in this Technicolor city.

I laugh, I cry, I feel.

Nothing seems real anymore, falling apart under pressure, this human façade that I am cant stand up to reality.

What is real anymore anyways?

Rhetorical question, I don't have a clue. The gutted out sky is crying tears now, fallen angel's wings crashing down to earth, none heeding its warning.

My feet can't hold up this body anymore, so I fall to the ground. Pain beyond pain, emotion beyond emotion, guilt beyond guilt; all filling me up until I overflow and burst, the blood is seeping across the cracked cement now.

She stands there in front of me that robust neck bent downwards, judging me with her silence.

"What would you have done, would you have gone as far as this!?" I yell at her, broken body screaming out something more. A pale shadow of my former self now I can't even be called human anymore, not with this pain and guilt I feel in my chest.

Her silence is enough, even I know I can't push this body any further, this is the end, and I have nothing left anymore. Wasted away, all on a foolish dream, trying so hard to be something I am not.

Some washed up has-bin I am, can't even keep my own word, and I can't even keep a stupid promise.

Going to end my life in this shit-alley doing nothing, what a joke, the robust form doesn't change her stance. The kings blade in her hands falls into place, hilt towards me, a gesture even I can understand.

"End it all now huh?"

For that girls smile I would die, for that person's happiness I would fall into the pits of hell and be swallowed up.

"What right to I have to die here" pushing myself up I try to stand but falter. Gentle hands hold me back up, as I stare into green eyes, I see myself as I should have been.

The dark glamour on her body falls apart, swirls of silver and blue cast away the shadows of night.

"You're not alone"

The one that has been beside me this whole time says that, a knight from a distant past, a king upon a throne, a girl no older than me.

I feel like crying.

But these tears won't fall until the end, not now, not yet.

Bearing the sins of a decade long guilt, I begin to pave my way towards a brighter future. This world may be in shambles, I may not be the person I once was, but I will keep this promise I made to her on that day.

"Sakura, I will be back for you"

Ten years after the grail war ended, ten years since the disaster that claimed so many lives, I can finally stand up and face that devil.

Those soft green eyes watch me as I stand, that robust knight in blue and silver stands as she should. No longer cast in my shadow, no longer a dark pale reflection of what once was. No longer stained in the blood of her former master, that is my sin, I will be judged for it before the end.

Things that were, that's that are, and things that will be, everything happens for a reason.

**Ten years prior, Heaven's Feel**

Only a few feet away she stands, a small measure of distance between us, yet our hearts stand so far apart.

She looks straight back at me, that person I used to know, no longer the girl she was, no longer the sister I once had.

She should mean nothing to me; she should be nothing at all. Still I look her in the eye, and see the girl she once was, since the sister she once was, and I can't do it anymore.

I don't have the nerve.

The sword gripped in my hands is shaking, barely kept upright as I stare back at her. This moment in-between moments, it is here that I fall apart.

Off to the side a similar battle rages, the blackened knight rages a war with the violet rider. And in the center he stands, vermilion arm blazing like the setting sun, one last blaze of glory.

A blast of light drowns the world in colour, and in the aftermath the black knight falls to the ground.

My hands are still shaking, the time is ticking down, the world is closing in. in a moment I will have to act, to do I what I must do.

Everything slows down; I can feel my heart beating furiously in my chest. I can hear my heaving breathing, pounding in my ears like a drum. I can feel my hands digging into the sword gripped firmly in my hands, and the gentle shaking of the world around me.

I rush towards her in that moment after the collision, franticly steeling myself in that moment of calm before the world turned white.

The black knight is falling, I am running towards her. My vision is clear, the sword is in my hands, and a cry is on my lips.

There is nothing in my way, closer, almost there. In a moment it will all be over.

I knock her down with my free hand, and raise the blade up high, a killing blow that will end it all. Staring down at her face I see the girl she once was, I see the sister she once was, and I hesitate.

I laugh, even after all this, even after all this pain I still can't do it, I'm so full of shit.

A tear falls down my face; I can't even begin to describe it. This bittersweet emotion that is welling up inside of me is bubbling up and about to burst.

The world distorts and I'm knocked away, the wind is knocked out of me as I hit the ground. I lay next to Saber, the black stain that took her over fading away, her green eyes hidden behind closed lids.

He lifts himself up, vermilion arm creating one last blazing rendition before the end, a blade forming in his hand.

I close my eyes, even as I hear the end rushing towards us.

Somewhere in my memory I see him fall, I her myself scream out his name, and I feel myself dragged away by what should have been a corpse.

"Sakura, I will be back for you"

I swore I would be back, but I lost my nerve, I'm full of shit.

Instead we just ended up running, Saber carrying me in her arms, pushing forwards while running on the bare minimum.

I don't think Saber herself noticed the tears on her eyes as she ran.

**Present**

I shake my head and look up at the twilight sky. For ten years we ran, for ten years she chased after us.

I glance down, at the form standing at the entrance to the alleyway, the one who had followed us since that day so long ago.

"…Sakura…"

I ran so far, I far until there was nothing left, and then ran some more. And still I couldn't get away from my past; still I couldn't forget that girl.

And as she stands there, I still can't do it, I still can't kill that girl. So I smile, cocking my head and waving, "hey, how you been Sakura?"

Such a simple thing calms me, even though I am standing in a dirty alley so far away from home. Even though I lost so many things, even though he died, I feel fine for the first time in a long while.

Saber draws her sword; deflecting the piercing nails that sails through the sky. Rider draws her away; leaving the final battle to the two that should have ended it ten years ago.

Black light materializes out of nothing, cutting into my flesh and tears apart my tattered clothes. I don't feel the pain, I don't feel anything, and my heart only hurts for one thing.

Even as the world is cut to pieces around me, I don't see anything else but that girl in my vision.

_This broken heart screams out to you,_

_But you won't even look me in the eye,_

_You won't even see me as I die._

_This broken heart screams out to you,_

_Only to you, but you just look away,_

_Not even hearing my call._

_This broken heart screams only for you,_

_This voice is yours to command,_

_My words are yours, but you say nothing._

_Your silence is agony,_

_My sister, my dear,_

_Why do you say nothing, why can't you hear?_

_This simple wish, this simple thing, I'm so sorry,_

_I want you to hear this heartfelt apology that I couldn't say before._

_I want to take back those years you lost,_

_I would bare them in your place, if only I could._

_This broken heart screams out for you,_

_And I scream only for you._

_We stand on opposite sides,_

_I see you, do you see me?_

_Do you cry every time we part, do you rejoice every time we chance by,_

_Keeping this fleeting emotion wrapped up in your heart?_

_Do you sit alone and think of me? Do you look up at the sky?_

_And remember those days, back in the past, far far away._

_Still you say nothing, my one and only._

_Your silence is agony,_

_My sister, my dear,_

_Why do you say nothing, why can't you hear?_

_I want to scream, I want to beg, at your feet I fall kneeling,_

_Tears in my eyes, still you say nothing, and I begin to despise…_

_The person I am, for letting you go,_

_For not being strong enough, for becoming your foe,_

_For being selfish, for being a afraid,_

_For breaking your heart, a debt left unpaid._

_This broken heart screams out to you, only to you,_

_My sister, my dear,_

_Why do you say nothing, why can't you hear?_

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, time and again,_

_I return to this place, and speak my lament._

_Still you say nothing, my one and only,_

_You won't even look me in the eye,_

_You won't even see me as I die._

_My sister, my dear, this broken heart screams out,_

_Only for you to hear, still you say nothing,_

_And as I lay dying, your silence is the only pain I fear._

On this pavement I lay dying, and all I can see is her face.

I laugh, I cry, I feel.

For once this world seems real again, even as it begins to fade at the edges. For too long I ran away, for too long I ran away from what I should have done.

Beyond the pain of death, beyond the wounds of guilt and honour, I cast aside this foolish pride a push my dying body forwards.

On my feet I stand, staring into her eyes, she stares back at me for the first time. Even though I'm falling apart, even though my body can't move anymore, I still push myself to do one last thing.

I apologize.

Falling forwards, the world becomes dark, and I fall with a smile on my face. She catches me in her arms, cradling me and calling my name. its all over now though, it was over ten years ago, we both knew this was what was going to happen.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way Sakura"

"I'm sorry too Nee-san"

Yeah, sorry I couldn't be the sister you deserved. Sorry I couldn't be the person I wanted to be, the one who would never let anyone down again.

**BAD END**

_Not every story has a happy ending, not every world has a white knight upon a shining steed. Sometimes things don't go they way they were planned, and everything falls apart._

_And sometimes things shatter into a million pieces, and nothing is ever the same again._


	18. Chapter 17 Morning

Chapter 17: Morning

**Chapter 17: Morning**

**Satsuki's World**

"Sensei!?" those words echo in the silence, a question uttered by a young man holding a broken girl.

The twilight has a different colour now; the pale oranges of dawn lick the horizon, the violet sky giving into the blazing sun. The moon hides her pale face from the world, disappearing into the curtain of sky, blue and white.

"Oho, Shiki how ya been?" the crimson haired woman grins from ear to ear, bending at the waist and putting her hands on her hips. She pauses, glancing to the left, her grin widens. "Don't tell me this is your girlfriend?"

Satsuki turns bright red in the dawns light, contesting the sun for brightness. Shiki's face contorts slightly as reality and his memories conflict as to which Sensei he should accept as fact.

The Crimson haired woman suddenly stops, her face turning serious. With a small humph, she mutters something under breath, and turns to face the girl in Shiki's lap.

"I'm going to be sending you to another world now."

An explosion rocks the surface of the road, as a pickup truck smashes into the side of a transformer, effectively taking out power for the entire block.

"Tch, already here" she mutters, raising her arms over her head she stretches. "You might want to cover your eyes" she calls back, spinning around and throwing what seemed to be a bolt of lightning from her hands. Except the lightning was purple, and resembled the shape of a volley ball.

Lighting up the darkness; the ball of light smashes into the side of a building burning up its face and disappearing into the clouds above.

Still, in the brief light, no one could miss the figure standing at the other end of the street.

Tall and robust, covered in a veil like night, smoke and mirrors, a black knight on a pale dawn.

The red haired woman's audible "fuck" broke the silence.

A manhole cover whips past her face and smashes into a light post, cleaving it in half. She brushes a hand through her hair, as if checking it for dandruff.

Without turning around, she asks "Shiki, what do you see?"

Shiki pauses for a moment, his eyes focusing on the figure moving towards them. "Lines everywhere, ever moving, constant, interchangeable, that thing is not alive"

"Oho Shiki, I'm surprised you can see the death of a servant" the woman known as Sensei pauses. "Shiki, can you buy me some time, I have something I need to take care of with this girl." There is a small pause, and then a nod, the boy that once was is no more.

"My name is Aozaki Aoko, and I'm going to be sending you to another world now."

Shiki may have agreed to buy some time, but it was no easy endeavour. Seeing the lines is fine, but if they keep moving, how in the hell are you supposed to cut them.

A second manhole cover crashes into the pavement, just inches away from where he had been a few moments ago. The black 'servant' as the person Shiki called 'sensei' called him, was now carrying the remains of a Volkswagen beetle, and was attacking with it like it was a baseball bat.

Shiki was reminded of his sensei saying something, and reiterated that same statement. "Fuck," the Volkswagen beetle smashes into his side, throwing him into a wall.

**Sakura's World**

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me"

It's not often that Tohsaka Rin loses her cool, though the same could be said that it's not often that her seventeen year old niece decides to hop dimensions using a ten million dollar ruby.

Rin couldn't decide which she would do first, strangle the girl or hold onto her for dear life. She was the only one left now after all, the only reminder of those days that seem so far back in her life.

Even as she is thinking those thoughts, the world turns white and a figure lands unceremoniously on the floor. Cross-legged and seemingly dazed, the girl raises a hand to her lips and exclaims "I kissed a girl, and I think I liked it."

**Satsuki's World**

"…I'm going to be sending you to another world…"

As soon as those words are spoken, the world around the two freezes, they are alone now, in that void world between worlds. A moment in time squeezed between two seconds span, smaller than a tick of a clock, smaller still than a blink of an eye.

"Haha, you must be joking, y-y-you're going to kill me, y-y-your joking right, right sensei?" Satsuki looks up at her, with an almost pleading look, while backing up against the cement wall.

"You seem to be mistaken, your already dead" Aoko responds nonchalantly, glancing back to see Shiki get set flying through the air while on the receiving end of a Volkswagen beetle. A large junk of fender flies overhead, crashing into a second car and destroying its interior.

The sound of a car alarm breaks the silence.

"What do you mean I'm dead?"

"Your dead, d.e.a.d., no other way of telling you how your heart is not beating and that you smell something awful." Aoko glances back again, as Shiki is knocked around like a rag doll; she turns back and points at him with her thumb. "Mind if we hurry up, he is going to die at this rate you know?"

Satsuki doesn't respond, looking up at the older woman with a dazed look on her face. Aoko sighs, pulling a silver flask out from somewhere on her person. Handing it to the younger girl she tells her to drink, which Satsuki, still in a confused state, doesn't delay in doing.

"Yuck" Satsuki spits it out moments later, the liquid burning her throat, and making her eyes water.

Strong hands grip her on the shoulders, the flash is taken from her hands, and Aoko's face appears right in front of hers.

"For luck" blinding pressure, lips pressed firmly against hers, the world swims. Aoko stands in the sea of blanketed images, the world is fading.

"…I'm sending you to another world…"

The meaning of those words finally sinks in, as the world is swallowed up and lost, and a new one appears in its place.

Raising the remains of the Volkswagen, the black servant neither gloats nor flinches from it; in fact, it hasn't even said a thing the entire time. So when a ball of crimson light smashes into his side, it was no surprise that no sound came out of its black helm.

"Yo shiki, you look messed up"

Shiki cocks his head backwards and stares up at a person he didn't expect to see, nor did he expect how painful it would be to move his neck.

"A-arc"

"Hmm, Shiki, I can't hear you, what are you saying?" The Princess of the true ancestors barely registers the speeding car tire as it flies towards her face. A beautiful imprint of the tire was left on her alabaster skin, giving her the look of recent road kill.

She turns her head to look at the black servant who is slowing approaching "I'm trying to have a conversation here, can you please wait a moment."

The servant's only answer is to rip a lamppost out of the ground and throw it like a javelin.

Arcueid turns back to Shiki, who tried to look back, but couldn't because his arm was currently beneath a pile of rubble, and one of his legs was bent at an odd angle. "Sorry, Shiki, we are going to have to talk later."

Standing up and stretching, she catches the lamppost with her left hand and throws it right back. Before the black servant could even react to the same lamppost being launched back at it, Arcueid rushes forwards and forces all her weight into the servant's center, sending it rolling backwards.

Dusting off her hands, Arcueid smiles and turns to walk away, but a metal pipe that was more like a missile at the speed it was going whizzes past her face.

Black armour cracked with angry red lines, the Servant rises from the ground and stands, glowing reds eyes flashing.

A flash of red, the wind whips past the two figures, and a blur rushes past the white princess.

With a swift kick, Aoko knocks the Servants head off with her foot, sending the black helm flying several feet before it lands in the middle of the road. Spinning on her foot as fulcrum for her movement, she lowers her center of gravity and knocks the servant's feet out from underneath it.

The Servant's body collapses into smoke, and dissipates into nothingness, the helm itself melts back into the metals of which it was formed and sinks into the ground.

Dusting off her pants, the Crimson haired Aoko turns back to look at Arcueid, "I don't believe we have ever met."

Arcueid looks at her for a moment and then turns to face the mangled Shiki who lay in a pile of rubble "Shiki, who is this person?"

**Sakura's World**

It's not often that Tohsaka Rin loses her cool, but when her niece jumps dimensions, and a dead girl lands in her living room…

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

…no one can blame her for going a little insane, nor could any one begin to explain how her anger made the lights on the entire block go out for an hour.

Nor still, could anyone explain how a dead girl was still seemingly alive, nor would they even attempt to for quite sometimes, really, nobody cares at the moment.

As such, Tohsaka Rin's morning began.

**Future World**

In a different world, in a different time, someone else's morning began in a similar way. But in all things similar, there is a moment of difference between the two, and in such ways, this was a big one.

A downward strike like a waterfall, movements both fluid and powerful, liquid steels in essence, the two trade equal blows. Of similar origins, and of similar legend, the two are like mirrors, matching each other perfectly in form and beauty.

On one side, Saber, the other, Assassin, their blades equally matched, deadlocked. All that is left to decide with is the thing that makes each servant special.

"Tsubame Gaeshi"

"Kengo"

Noble Phantasm, even the thing that makes the unique is nearly the same. A movement they call their own, honed to perfection, the perfect killing technique with a katana.

But the similarities end there, where one had perfected the art of killing a swallow with a single stroke, the other had learned to kill a hundred of men with a single movement.

The air is cut in two as the ground is rent apart by the clash of the two Noble Phantasms; the two vanish for a moment in the dust that is kicked up.

But in a moment, the sound of ringing steel could be heard anew, as the two continue their battle.

Where Assassin lacked in strength, he made up with speed, and where Saber lacked in speed, she made up in strength. As such, the two matched each other perfectly, neither able to defeat the other without being defeated themselves first.

Atop the outermost wall of the inner courtyard, Archer sat surveying the battle. Inside an abandoned housing complex, upon the roof of an outdoor gazebo Assassin and Saber fought.

To Archers left sat her master in a wheelchair, and Inanna behind him, surveying the battle with binoculars.

Archer pouted, sitting on the wall and bending over seductively, "master dear wont you play with me?" she says so with a melodious voice, not failing to notice the scowl on Inanna's face.

"Please" she pleads with a look that ordinarily would have made any man loose his cool, and drop them to their knees. But Mikhail Lazaretto Giovanni Rosaria is not an ordinary man, without even looking at her; he waves her away and continues his observation.

Slightly putout, Archer settles in to watch the battle, rolling onto her back and tucking in her wings. A few moments later, the voluptuous archer says "I'm bored"

Neither of the two bothered to respond, as the two servants below picked up speed and intensity.

In a few moments, it would all be over.


	19. Chapter 18 True Monster

Chapter 18: True Monster

**Chapter 18: True Monster **

Like a leaf in a brief wind, the sword seemingly floats for and impossible moment. Like a flower it blooms, midway through the pale sky it meets its twin, and sparks fly in all directions.

Assassin's noble phantasm, Tsubame Gaeshi, it bends the laws of physics to cause what is known as the Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon. A seemingly unavoidable attack, that consists of three simultaneous strikes from different directions.

A killing move perfect in its form, perfect in its execution, but against a similar strength, it meets its match.

Kengo, the unnamed sword technique, once, long ago there lived a monk. Upon his mountaintop hermitage he trained a single pupil. Not in the ways of his craft, no, he taught that pupil the way of the sword.

"_The sword is an extension of yourself, it is not a tool to be used recklessly, and the blade that is yourself must only be used by your own will. Do not lose your way and give in to the foolishness that is war, and the time we are living in."_

Where Assassin's noble phantasm is three simultaneous strikes, Kengo, is a single strike, extended beyond the limits of the blade.

"_The sword will be your gateway, to release the power that resides in you. Do you feel it my child? Do you feel the power as it flows into your sword, that power is yours, the blade is yours, unleash it upon the world."_

But that monk died, or so the story goes, and that technique was never perfected, still, a hundred years later, on the bloodstained fields of her forefathers, the sword that screamed for death called out once more.

"_Tell me you old fool, what am I supposed to do with this sword, when I cannot save your own damn life!?"_

"_Hah, my child, you will do what you have always done, lived that long life of yours, in the secret dark places of your brethren. But one day, you will have a child, and that child will be like yourself, but different, don't hate her for what she is."…"don't hate her for being human."_

"_Damn it you old fool, I'm not a child anymore, this sword is useless if all it can be used for is death, and it screams for it, I can hear it."_

"_You will always be a child in my eyes, my dear…"_

And with words like that, the old monk died, and the story passes into legend, and is lost in the mists of time, like so many things.

The two servants stare each other down, there is no need for words, still it feels as if something has not yet be said.

But it doesn't matter, in a moment it will all be over.

"Tsubame Gaeshi"

"Kengo"

The two scream out their battle cries, as the world is bathed in crimson, the rooftop is rent in two by the force of the clashing noble phantasms.

"Tell me daughter of the sword, do you search for what I search for? Do you yearn for what I yearn for?" The Assassin smiles, dropping his head, letting his sword fall from his grasp, his body falling backwards, "…it was good…your sword."

For a tainted wish, so many people lose their lives, that distant miracle still remaining unattainable.

Saber turns her eyes to the viridian archer, their eyes lock, and unspoken words are exchanged.

Without even speaking to her master, Archer raises herself off the wall, and jumps down to the ground.

The challenge accepted Saber awaits her next opponent.

**Underground**

In a place that could best be described as hell, or at least some plutonian shore of which man has not ventured. In the dark damp, the architect and his creation sit and wait, for their moment, for that miracle.

"Evangeline"

His voice awakens me from my slumber, his voice, his alone, no one else's. Sometimes I wonder why that is, why it is only him, why do I answer back "yes," why do I awaken?

It is not my place to question, I am a doll, I am nothing, I am empty, I am full of questions, and I am a contradiction.

Why do I exist, what is my purpose, why, why, why?

"It is time, Evangeline; it is time for us to claim that which we have waited for."

What do I want?

At the bare limits of my consciousness I realize, I'm hungry.

**Elsewhere, Fuyuki**

An arrow of light; smashes into the trunk of a tree, searing wood, and crashing into the forestry behind. Archer raises her yew bow and fires again, the wind screaming in her ears as the trees whip past her.

The sound of breaking branches, the creak of swaying branches; everything can be heard in her ears.

Archer nocks another arrow in her bow, waiting for it, waiting for that sound. And then she hears it, the distant sound, like the peal of a bell in the middle of a bustling town market.

Her arrow flies from her bow, its aim true, and meets the sharpened edge of Saber's blade, falling into two clean pieces.

Out of the forest Saber unleashes her noble phantasm, cleaving off the tips of trees in all directions.

The two servant's pause, before darting in opposite directions, both felt the sudden change in atmosphere.

**Abandoned Housing Complex**

Upon the wall, Inanna watches as a girl in white walks slowly to broken outdoor gazebo, something in her heart stopped her from screaming out.

And then the girl consumes him, the remains of the servant Assassin, still lingering in this world, she consumes him.

And with those eyes, she stares right back at Inanna and says in a voice barely a whisper "I'm still hungry."

_Unbreakable bonds, you are my other self; I love you more than I love myself. My partner, my best friend, my lover, do you feel the same way?_

_This promise we pledged so long ago, I still hold it in my heart, even if you are lost to me, I still search for you…_

**Sunlit Room, Fuyuki**

I am so lost for words, I am overwhelmed by its sheer enormity, in this room filled with light, and I feel so warm. I could sink into this light, bath in its brilliance, and dance forever in its warm embrace.

In its presence I lose sight of myself, I lose sight of that girl of seventeen years, who went through time to murder her own father. I lose sight of why I am here, why I am in this place full of light.

I'm blinded by this light, this isn't what I want, this isn't were I'm supposed to be, this isn't the me that is me.

I wake up.

Its cold, the sunlight has faded to nothingness, in this room I hear her call, and I answer her. My feet somehow know the way, even though I have never walked it before, I walk towards her voice, towards that building surrounded by crumbling walls, and smelling of death.

Past the unfinished walls, past the bare pipes and wiring, out into a courtyard surrounded by cement walls I walk.

In the center of my vision, she stands, that girl in white.

And everything else fades to black in my vision, gentle hands hold my back from the brink, and a voice speaks in my ear, "why are you here?"

I ask myself that question again, and still I have no answer.

In my dazed vision I see that girl rise up from her crouch, and the world tears apart around her.

The broken gazebo is sent flying in all directions, pieces of wood splintering as they crash into the cement walls of the abandoned housing complex.

Arrows of light crash down from the sky, keeping large pieces of wood from smashing into Mikhail, and Inanna picking off the smaller ones with her Lahti L-39.

In the center a girl walks like a whirlwind.

Tendrils of red, like mercury extends from pale finger tips, bending with uncharacteristically straight edges and lengthening to sharpened edges.

Archer nocks an arrow, training it on the girl, her fair blond hair blowing in all directions because of the whirlwind. Her arrow at 110 cm, far longer than a traditional arrow, flew through the air, striking the girl in the shoulder.

In the span of a second, while she nocked another arrow, the girl disappeared from Archer's sight.

In just the span of a second, it was over.

Mercury blades pierced through Archer's limbs, pinning her legs to the ground, crippling her fingers. The girl in white presses her face against Archer's; raking the same arrow that was shot, against the Servants face.

"Here, I will return this now."

Short and sweet, the rush of blood in the morning light, blond hair stained strawberry, a simple but elegant thing.

There is some kind of alien beauty in death, a thing that can only be seen by a chosen view, not something that should be seen, but still beautiful.

Red flowers blossom, the arrow falls to the ground in with a clatter, its tip stained red; fading to black.

A curse, a prayer, words lost in the moment. Shots are fired, the girl in white turns around, taking the bullets in the chest.

Blood bursts from the wounds, but seal themselves like time rewound itself, the bullets fall from her body like a stream.

Another moment, in the blink of a eye she is in front of the barrel of Inanna's Lahti L-39, the offending sound of metal being crushed.

In another time and place, someone might have cried for her, someone might have even loved her. But here and now, this girl couldn't even tell the one she loves those words. Even in her as she is dying, those words are taken from her.

For a wish, all for a wish, the girl called Inanna bet it all on a wish.

Ligaments are torn apart, blood and bone torn apart, muscle turned to ash. Thrown away like nothing, she falls to the ground, her torso ripped apart from her abdomen.

On the ground so far down, a blink, a word, a sigh, a prayer…teardrops fall from heaven.

Words that couldn't possibly be heard are spoken.

"Hey, Mikhail, I think I loved you…"

Unseeing eyes recall a distant memory before fading out.

Atop the ruined wall, Mikhail watches her get cut in half and thrown away. The girl in white walks with purpose, Mikhail, already dying, understands that now is his time.

Still, that innocent wish, "a world full of equals" Mikhail smiles, even as the world is cut apart, and ended in such a meaningless way.

The mechanical chair breaks under the strain, bones snap, but that smile never fades.

He had found his equal already, but it had taken him this long to realize it, something they had in common.

People look forever for the ones they come to love, but seem to miss the people that are right in front of them, the ones who love them for what they are, not what they could be.

All this in the span of mere moments before the mind can even register movements. The girl in white stands above the corpses; Archer fades away into nothingness behind her.

I watch as if frozen as the girl in white vanishes from sight once more, reappearing beneath Sei's blade. Knocking it away with her hand; piercing the girl through the chest; ripping out her heart.

I feel as if I'm lost, my mind rejects the image, rejects the girls death, even as her body is torn apart from the inside out.

Blood, bone, muscle, skin, nails, eyes, nose, hair, ligaments, I can see them all.

Her decapitated head rolls to my feet, I stare down at it, my mind still not understanding.

She turns to me, that girl in white, staring into my eyes.

Break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, and break.

I'm breaking down, body, mind, soul, everything just shuts down.

"Nadeshiko"

A chorus of voices scream in my ears.

Break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, break, and break.

I'm breaking down, body, mind, soul, complete shutdown, there is nothing.

A single voice; clear and ringing like a bell whispers in my ear, so close, yet so far, like an echo of something more.

"Why are you here?"

The seal etches itself on my hand, reflecting my soul on the ground beneath me. The head at my feet dissolves into blood, forming a circle.

Out of the light she walks, bathed in white, golden hair tied back with a black bow. The golden sword of promise in her hands, already its name is on her lips…

"EXCALI-"


	20. Chapter 19 the World through my Eyes

Chapter 19 the World through my Eyes

**Chapter 19 the World through my Eyes**

"-BUUUUUR"

Light consumes itself and is lost; this glittering starlit person stands in the aftermath, that golden sword in her hands. Light that dwarfs the iridescent glow of thousands of sleepless cities of man.

The ground is rent in two, a trench ten feet in diameter carved into the ground beneath her like a grave.

Her green eyes narrow, watching the stumbling figure in the distance, charred black to still wholly themselves.

Bands of light and steel burst into existence and irritating sound like chalk on a blackboard echoing their approach. The cold ringing of tempered steel pierces the air, as that golden sword is brought down to bear, destroying all opposition.

Like Damascus steel, and edge that never falters, cutting through the air itself, the golden sword of promise.

Her voice sounds out again, that name once more on her lips…

"Excalibur"

The rush of the wind, I'm taken far away, to a place of flowing grassy fields, the gentle spray of sea air. The sun is high in the sky, the soft loamy ground invades my senses, and I sink to my ankles in the wet surf.

The light fades, she stands in front of me, that golden sword is sheathed now. With hands stronger than they look, she picks me up, and before I realize it, we are in the air.

Far, far away, from that place, my mind has shut down; I just want to stay here awhile, where I can dream that I have wings.

***

_It's been so long since I last saw the sun, the dead moon in the sky, still I tarry on. Endless forests, fields of death, the desert of steel with carrion crows, I traverse them all for you._

_Worlds beyond worlds passed through the looking glass, the other side of the mirror. Beyond the beyond, I have gone so far, yet my destination is still so far away._

_Its been so long since I last saw you, last touched your never changing visage, last felt your breathe on my skin, your eyes staring into my eyes._

_My memories push me further, keeping me going when I have nothing left._

***

**Throne World**

A pale king on a pale throne, his crown of thorns adorning a crooked brow, his mind broken, and his soul crushed. One would confuse him for a statue if not for the brilliance of his twisted unfocused eyes. Shining with a flame that burned far beyond that of his mortal life, a soulless man, a broken man, he is nothing.

Yet at the same time he is everything, in the darkness, beyond the limits of the world he sits on that pale throne. Beyond his broken mind, beyond his crushed soul, beyond the burning of his eyes, he plotted.

That broken mind devious in its design, forever straying but never faltering from its path, in search of an answer, and soon it would find it. Through time and space, a wandering mind touches those beyond the beyond.

_One in the past, one in the future_

_Another lost in time, another lost in an embrace_

_One walks under the moon, another walks under the earth_

_Two have lost their way; a third has lost their life._

_One is bathed in darkness, another bathed in light._

_Two swords rest idle, one heart beats in union_

_One remains strong, the other remains broken_

_One stands alone, on his broken throne._

Still others watched the deviating paths, the azure, the opulent, the crimson, the abyss. The watchers are on the move, the guardians taking up their mantles, the knights raising iron shields and tempered swords.

The servants of the sacred fire have been unleashed, the dogs of war at their archaic heels. Who now still stands to oppose the one who would be whole again?

No one, there is no one; the pale king on his pale throne will forever remain, until the one with whom his promise made, be promise kept.

With a laugh the broken king smiles, a cruel smile devoid of the warmth of human kindness. Such is the broken form of a broken man on a broken throne, in a broken world.

His war has been joined; even now the pieces are in movement, his words on their lips, and his will in their hearts.

All for him, and all in turn for her, his everything was for her, for she was his everything.

For the power to return her to him, the only one who could make him whole again?

He is the pale king, the sworn lord of the broken world.

Forgotten now is his own name, still for awhile he remembers, the life of a man so distant, the life of the man he used to be.

The life of a man called Emiya Shirou, who gave his all for his cause.

***

**Kohaku's World**

The sunlit room remained the same, even after all these years, and even after all the memories. The stinking smell of gasoline reached my nose, unnoticed until just now, taking hold of me, permeating into the fabric of the carpet.

With a dull thud the orange tankard falls to the ground, spilling its amber contents in a spray, before settling into a pool of itself.

The three standing behind me watch, the crimson eyed girl clings to his legs, her delicate nose buried in his side. Even though his eyes lost, the man comforts her, patting her on the head as she nuzzles his side. My twin watches with hooded eyes, her expression unreadable.

"Shiki…"

My voice breaks the silence, I stare at him, and he stares back, even though those eyes no longer see anything.

He nods with a smile, I turn away, with a flick of my wrist the flame bursts into existence. I hold onto the lighter with trembling hands, almost longing to not let go to this room.

But so much hurt, so much pain, so much death lingers in this room.

And so the flame fell, burning it all away, and we walk away, letting the house burn from the inside out.

With a crash, the Tohno mansion was consumed in flames, and for a moment, I thought I saw a girl laughing as she walked through the burning halls.

I smile despite myself, it creeps up on my face, even though the emotion inside is far different. A tear falls down my face, that smile still etched on my face, and after I realise I'm sad. Whipping the solitary tear from my face, I bid my farewells to the place that was my home for so long.

"Good bye, Akiha-sama"

My words as lost in the consuming fire, even as the figure waves goodbye, a smile on her face.

***

**Æon World**

**Royal City, Islazndí**

Soldiers stood, arrayed in their noble armaments, glittering swords twinkling like the fires of a thousand torches in the sun.

Raiment of gold and silver, adorned jewels set in a crown of pure diamond. The Imperial princess L'haura, no, the Imperial Queen, for none still stood to take up the mantle of her fallen kingdom. Her long hair a snowy white, her raven eyes no longer twinkle with mischief as they once had what seems an eternity ago.

On the broken ramparts of her once glorious city she stood, surveying the man who stood below her on the sands of blood. Amongst the bodies of knights he stood alone, his burning eyes striking fear in the eyes of the soldiers as they fell upon them. Finally they rested upon her, like the burning of a thousand suns, the force of his will bearing down upon her like a waterfall.

So many deaths, her brother, her father, her mother, her sister, oh dear sister of all I miss you most, all for this, it seemed so little for so many to have died and still it was not over. This man would not stop until all was laid bare, and all the secrets plundered, all the people ravaged, and the world torn asunder.

A horse's neigh breaks the silence, upon his white steed Marus, the captain of the guard surveys the man as well, and his once proud face turned tense, lines of age and worry etching into his face. Too young, all too young she thought. Too many dead, too many hurt, too many left wondering why. Even me, with a sad smile she remembered the girl she once was, the girl who had run through the market despite knowing she would get scolded, to watch the sunset. _How much has my face changed since that time?_ The girl who now stood on the battlements was not the same, unable to return to that girl not yet a woman.

The wind shifts, Marus's eyes narrow, the man below smiles, the army of shadows behind him tense, like a cat waiting to strike, all is quiet.

L'haura smiles despite herself, some small part of her enjoying the exhilaration, drawing her sword she calls out in a voice steadier than she thought possible. Her soldiers answer her with a deafening roar, hoping against hope that at least this small girl would survive the bloodshed to come.

"For the glorious dead"

Marus's roar is answered a thousand fold by the men and woman behind him, many having lost all they had, seeking haven and finding none.

"Let us meet them on the battlefield of our fathers, and show them the people of Islazndí are made of sterner stuff!"

His voice was lost in the resounding roar, as soldiers beat against their shields with their spears, and the drums of war beat out one last requiem.

The bells of the Hightower sound out, the last march of the Imperial army of Islazndí, by some unspoken consent the great gate was thrown down, and at the forefront of her army L'haura marched.

She would meet her end with all the will she could muster, for no matter how much her mind counselled her against this decision, she could not still live while this man destroyed them all unchecked.

The sword of her forefathers held aloft in her hand, burning at the edges like a pale flame. With a scream she charged, quickly followed by ten thousand of her brethren, into the swords and spears of an unforgiving army, led by a pale king.

***

Like a wave the army of Islazndí stole the lives of a thousand men, in a mere instant so many lives's where lost. Amidst it all, a bare wisp of a girl felled all who stood in her way, for none could stand up against her, none but one.

Like lightning it broke the line of soldiers, tearing limb from limb, and cracking helms like walnuts. All the while the pale king laughed, the raving king they called him, the blood emperor, but none could stand up against his blade.

And so the Imperial Queen fell, fell from her horse, watching her life pass by her. She could hear a soft voice sing, a distant minstrel singing of a lament-

"_Pitchers scared, hey, hey, hey"_

-L'haura couldn't understand what was going on, on the warm dessert floor she laid, her fathers helm cracked and broken. And in front of her stood a woman with crimson hair, a wooden object in her hands.

The pale king blanched.

"_We want a home run, yay, yay, yay"_

The crimson haired woman walks towards the pale king swinging the wooden object, then with a smile she runs forwards.

"_Hit one now, yay"_

With a mighty swing she catches the man in the stomach and launches him into the air.

"_Home run"_

She says to herself, resting the wooden object on her shoulder, with a small amount of mirth L'haura realises it was just an ordinary wooden bat. With a smile the Imperial Queen closes her eyes.

Just before the world is lost in the noise, she hears the crimson woman speak.

"_Even in this universe you're causing trouble, do you have any idea how many of you there are!?"_

***

**Throne world**

The pale king sneezes, whipping his nose with his hand, a crooked grin on his crooked face. Bubbling mirth with no apparent source, the raving king settled into a fit of laughter, clutching his stomach as if in pain.

The servants arrayed before him don't react at all, standing erect at attention, waiting for the soon-to-come order.

The pale king gathers his wits about him, a grin still plastered on his face.

"Go, find them, and destroy them, whatever."

Leaning back, the king sits in half lotus, and then starts laughing again, a loud cruel laughter, devoid of the mirth from before.

"Find my wandering daughter as well"

The servants bow as one, and disappear from the hall like they weren't really there.


	21. Chapter 20 Frontier

Chapter 20 Frontier

**Chapter 20 Frontier**

**Broken World**

I sneezed.

It was cold, there was an itch in my sock, I was wet, and this damn gun is freaking heavy (no offence Kalani, but you are!)

If there was an expulsion of air that was perfect to describe my mood, it would have to have been the sigh.

I sneeze again, someone was probably talking about me, hah, doubt it.

An explosion rocks the foundations of the road, metal stilts giving into insane pressure as a sinkhole appears right in front of me. Out of the black hole that formed a figure stood, brilliant eyes flashing in the twilight, a twisted grin on a twisted face.

_Carmun, _the emerald bane, I sneeze again.

"Pale daughter, I come before you to take you from this place, by force if necessary"

But a hint of her former cruelty was shown on her face, but it still twinkled in her eyes, if not for the sheer force of her will it would run rampant.

Caster, of all the servants that could have met Inanna in this barren world, this was the worst. Of course, Inanna didn't know this, and thus acted accordingly.

"And what are you going to do, I'm no fruit you old hag!"

Somewhere in the back of Inanna's head a voice spoke to her, _Inanna you idiot_, Inanna herself couldn't help but agree as the witch's face turned red and lightning flashed in the sky.

_Now would be the time to run_ chided the voice in her head.

"No shit"

The voice that escapes my lips is high pitched; a bolt of lightning blackens a hole in the ground as the witch comes at me like a bat out of hell. A maelstrom growing behind her, lightning flashing, her crazed face shining like a beacon, if not for the giant thunderstorm Inanna would comment on how she got even uglier than before.

Before the thought could fully form, bolts of lightning rain from the sky, and the time for random thoughts was over, _running would be good._

"I'm running, I'm running"

Screamed Inanna, desperately trying not to get hit by what looked like a violet beam, vaguely resembling death lasers in science-fiction.

"Damn it Kalani your heavy!"

***

**Empty World**

In the depths of this jewel I find peace. Just looking into its depths, I feel the entire world fall away, and I'm at peace.

Still I pull away from the sparkling depths, bringing my consciousness back to reality. The young woman in front of me gives me an odd look, but I ignore her.

"Miss…Tohsaka?"

She asks quietly, gesturing towards the depths of the bank vault and the safety deposit box. With slow deliberate movements I place the jewel in the box, in my peripheral vision I can see her eyes widen as she spots it, as it's the biggest jewel she has ever seen in her entire life.

I seal the box with my key, gesturing her to do the same. She nods, still dazed by what she has just seen and slowly stumbles out of the vault, closing the door behind her and thanking me for choosing her bank.

With a sigh I walk past the bustling crowd of people swarming at the bank desks, a man was raising his voice, a child was crying, and then suddenly everything went quiet.

No, that's wrong.

Everything got louder.

Three men stand in the entrance of the bank, the bank security guard lying dead on the floor, a pool of blood spreading across the linoleum floor. The leader of the group raised his gun and fired into the ceiling, calling for quiet.

But that wasn't the source of the noise.

A gale of wind struck the face of the building, glass shattering and slicing into the unguarded backs of the three-would-be bank robbers. As the leader turned around, his cry was cut short by the servant's sword.

A silver hand shown clearly through the spray of blood, a blade of light held in the other.

***

**Kohaku's World**

The fire consumed everything, wrapping around the mansion like a mother's tender embrace, taking it into her bosom and holding on for dear life.

A single tear falls down my face, unbidden; it streaks down my cheek and falls to the ground.

I raise my hand to wipe it away, but stop as sudden movement freezes me to the spot. A figure stands in the burning mansion, unlike the one from before; the benevolent atmosphere has turned cold.

Out of the fire walked a man clothed in fabulous riches, but a frivolous thing, as they did nothing to mask the look on his face, one of utter disgust.

"You have ruined such a grand home; I wished to take it for myself."

The man scrunches up his face as if he had just tasted something sour.

"Nevertheless, I will take your lives now, off with your head."

And with that a silver plated axe appeared in his long fingered hands, a crazed look on his face as the axe was hefted high above his head.

***

**Sakura's World**

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

I flinch at the intensity of the raven haired woman's voice. Despite myself, I can't voice my own opinion, my voice seemingly won't work. With a struggled gasp blood bursts from my throat and stains the carpeted floor.

I stare at that spot where the red meets carpet in the silence. I can feel the raven haired woman staring at me, but I can't move from this spot.

_What the hell is going on?_

A loud bang breaks the silence as the raven haired woman opens her mouth to speak. The sound resembled the unholy union of a car backfiring and the breaks of an eighteen-wheeler failing, a truly unpleasant sound.

I feel like laughing, even in another world they won't leave me alone. All these people deciding what I should and shouldn't do…

_Shiki…_

When I see your face, all these points and lines fade away, and I become myself, this world fades away, and everything is just background noise.

I raise myself up from the bloodstained floor, cutting a shallow cut in my finger with my thumbnail. The blood trickles down my hand, dripping to the floor in large goblets of crimson.

I've been scared, I've been defiled, I've been hated, I've been pitied, I've been loved…and now I'm just angry.

Eyes flashing, reflecting off the invading light, I break free of this place, tearing a hole in the wall, ignoring the gasp of the raven haired woman.

In the center of the street he stands, and the entire world fades away except the man in front of me.

He turns to face me, a gun in his raised hand; I watch the bullet as it passes by my face in slow motion. I raise my blooded hand, ready to rend his heart from his body, only to meet the flesh of his own hand. With a graceful ease my hand is pulled behind me and I'm pinned to the ground. His gun planted on the back of my head, his finger on the trigger, _so I'm going to die?_

I stare at the cracked pavement, a single shoot struggles for light, and breaking out of the ground to reach for the sky. _I'm already dead, why do I care anymore…_

His finger on the trigger, my head on the floor, bam, it would all be over in an instant, my brains on the pavement, and my body in some strange place.

_Why do I still care? I search my mind for that answer, but cannot find it, yet still something lingers in my mind…Shiki?_

_I don't want to die; I don't want this, stop deciding things without my permission!_

All the anger, all the pain, that unbearable hurt, it starts to rise up in my chest, I see his face once more and it recedes, only to redouble.

Full of pain, full of disgust, full of anger, I manifest my soul onto this world, tearing a part of my soul and making it tangible for a moment.

The world turns to rot, trees falling to ash, the ground black and dead, the sky is a red hazy iron colour.

"_Stop it_"

A voice rings out in my mind, a girl stands there in front of me shaking her head, telling me no, this is not the way.

Who are you to tell me what to do?

_I am you, as such you should listen_.

How can you be me, and yet not me?

_I am you that was before, why do you still not listen?_

Listen to what?

_To your own tears…_

The voice fades and I find myself crying, my soul is screaming around me, draining the world of its colour, but cannot prevent its own pain. With a sigh it breaks apart under the pressure of the world, and I lay on the pavement crying, crying for the loss I had not yet wept for, myself.

Unasked for, tender arms hold me tight, and I cry into that persons warm chest, while soothing words try to deceive me that I would be alright.

_How the hell can anything to be alright, I'm dead!_

A flash of light, a person stands in the opening, the raven haired woman who held me tensed. The man with the gun turns his head, a small smiled played on his strained face.

***

**Satsuki's World**

The crumbling sky turned pale pink, glorious dead sun rises in the east. Shining rays of light on a city best left in the twilight, where it could shine forever unbidden.

"Shiki, who is this person"

The young man with glasses raises his head, staring at her as if she is crazy, which is actually quite probable, though naiveté is a large factor.

"Arcueid, can't you fix me first and then ask questions!"

The youth can't help but scream, crushed under rubble, the adrenaline was beginning to drain away and by conventional terms he was already a lost cause.

Visibly flustered, the woman known as Arcueid jumps and then rushes to his aid, a faint blush on her alabaster skin.

"Don't worry Shiki; I can get you patched up right away!"

And with that a roll of packing tap was produced from somewhere in her skirt. Shiki blacked out as soon as he saw it, the shock of it all was too much for him.

With a deft whack the red haired woman hits her over the head,

"Tape won't fix everything."

Arcueid looks up at the woman, her face serious, eyes flashing yellow.

"You got a better idea?"

The red haired woman pauses, and then looks right into the other woman's eyes.

"Arcueid Brunestud, White princess of the true ancestors, I do have an idea, and your not going to like it."

The blonde woman's eyes dull, she pushes her tongue in her check, and then with a faint smile.

"I already don't like you; I don't think anything can be worse."

"We are going to make him a dead apostle"

Arcueid's eyes widen then narrow, she peruses her lips and then stares back at the passed out youth.

"Your right, I don't like this, but as much as I do not, Shiki would hate it more, and how can you call yourself a teacher?"

***

**Nyx World**

It was cold, Altrouge sneezed, and ordinarily this would be accompanied by some poor soul getting blasted into white hot oblivion. But on this day, all that was produced was another box of Kleenex.

The dark mistress, the lord of blood and contract, Altrouge Brunestud, had caught a cold. The irony was not lost on her servants, least of all the begrudging archer who sat tending to her every need and whimsy.

"I want butterscotch pudding"

"Right away mast-"

"With real butterscotch…"

"Right away mast-"

"From Europe…"

"Right away-"

"Made from scratch"

"Do you want me to just enslave a town to make you pudding?"

"That would definitely be helpful, now be off to do so already!"

The archer sighed, unable to disobey do to unforeseen events; blasted girl understands her binding contracts like a dirty lawyer.

Her sneeze echoed through the entire hall.

"Uwwwaaa~"


	22. Chapter 21 Daughter of Fate

**Chapter 21 Daughter of Fate**

**Broken World**

If not for the fact that those beams of light would probably kill me, I do say, it's rather beautiful. Time is relative, and also rather selective, as moments like this seem to stretch on for an eternity. An aurora of light flashes through the sky clipping the side of a building and sawing another in half at a 65 degree angle, I dodge it. Or that's what I would like to think I did; instead I felt my back give out as searing pain shot down my spine. Bitch, knowing your name doesn't help much.

"Come out now and you will be spared much pain"

Her harsh voice interrupts my thoughts. There isn't much I can do but run, she would turn me into a fire log if I so much as tried to stand up and face her.

"Dad, you're an ass, I'm not coming home, end of story"

I think that was a good enough reply, the angered roar that she produced made me want to rethink my life choices on the other hand. Misfit daughter of the man who will destroy the universe, homes don't get anymore broken then that. Makes me almost think that if I had gone to college the apocalypse could have been prevented; an utterly delusional thing I might add. Still, I have to return to the ever pressing truth that my dad is pure evil, mom is pushing up daisies, I'm in a totally different universe and this bitch is shooting lasers out of her yahoo. I can only imagine what would happen if she took out a prism, refraction of light, I pause on that thought. A moment of maniacal ingenuity, either this works or I'm going to have a hole in my chest the size of Idaho State. I pull the small pocket mirror out; I don't put makeup on anymore what with the world being over so I don't really know why I still have this. Lucky, I jump up from my hiding stop, in retrospect this wasn't the greatest idea in the history of ideas. The wave of light fires towards me, if I blink it would be over in a moment of Technicolor and searing flesh. I didn't blink; instead I pointed my small pocket mirror in front of me, and pulled a leaf out of a star trek nerd's manual. The beam bounced off the small mirror, I nearly dropped it in disbelief. Go me, fighting millennia old witches with cosmetic devices! The resulting explosion was not anticipated however, nor was the gigantic cloud of dust that burst into view. I laugh shakily.

"Going to die a virgin"

Kalani gives me an odd look; I had almost forgotten she was right next to me. I smile awkwardly, trying to come up with some kind of plan to survive through a curtain of dust and debris. Nothing came readily available, shit. With the force of a small pickup truck I was knocked away by the cloud.

I settled somewhere in lower city subway system, somehow surviving what should have killed me. Lucky, unlucky, the odds are about even right now, on one hand I could have gotten a lung or two full of dirt, on the other Miss Green is still out for my neck. As if to answer my unasked question, her cackling laughter announces her arrival on the scene. What I would give to have a train roll down the tracks and smack her right about now. I sigh, reaching for Kalani, only to realize she wasn't there. Nut-bar fruitcake, I curse a thousand other not child-safe ways before scrambling to my feet. Mental checklist in my head, no Kalani which means no gun, no gun means no weapon, no weapon means I'm a cooked duck served to starving orphans.

"Going to die"

Hearing myself repeat it somehow made me feel better, somehow made me want to disprove myself and turn that statement into a lie. Whatever works, mental therapy would have to wait anyways. Still, I have been through worse, I take a deep breath, got to stop running away from my problems. I quietly reinforce my entire body, sparing nothing, wouldn't bode well to have an Achilles heel at a crucial moment. The moments stretch into minutes, Carmun's laughter is all kinds of distracting but I block it out. I know of her, but I don't know anything about her, so this is a near suicidal thing to do. I stretch, getting the feel of my newly formed skin; I could punch through the side of a German tank, but only for another few moments. I lean forward, balancing on the balls of my feet, and then I ran. The feeling of the wind on my skin calmed me more than anything. The racing of my heart in my chest sounded so loud, like it had leapt into my throat and taken residence therein. I wind back my fist, the subway tracks beneath my feet, Carmun right in front of me. My punch hit her like a sledgehammer, right between the eyes; I felt the satisfying snap of her nose breaking beneath my knuckles.

"…and stay down"

I kick her in the side for good measure. Already her body was starting to fade away, evidently just knocking her out was enough to cut her ties to the world and force her to return. Not that he wouldn't send others, I sigh, nowhere is safe anymore. The lights flicker and die, I stand in the darkness.

"Son of a-"

My voice is lost in the explosion that destroys the roof in front of me; supportive pillars falling to pieces as insane pressure crushes them were they stand.

***

I awoke to frantic voices, and the familiar sound of my name being spoken by someone equally as familiar. Oh Kalani, good, I don't have to go digging to find you again. I smile at her, my head hurts, I tenderly feel my forehead; I had a rather large bump there.

"Rain, rain, go away?"

We were under a piece of an old gas station, a single pillar held up the makeshift roof, a pile of garbage cans marked the entrance to the hole with which I had evidently been dragged out of. A woman sat on one of those garbage cans, whittling away at a piece of wood with an even longer knife. She turned, her low collared dressed revealing a long scar on her otherwise ample chest. One eye was sealed shut, looked to be a temporary thing as there didn't seem to be any scaring, the other was a pure icy blue, not even a trace of corona. Contrary to her appearance, the woman smiled at me.

"Who are you?"

I brace myself, even injured I could still put up at least some kind of meagre defence, not much, but enough to get my bearings back. The woman just smiles, sheathing her knife in the folds of her dress, her carving likewise disappearing.

"I have had many names, but you may call me Elesia. Now daughter of the pale king, what are you doing here?"

I freeze, she knows more about me then I know about her, why is it that I am eternally out of the loop. I sigh, raising myself up to a sitting position, my head aching.

"Running away, it's all I'm good at."

I mutter, not looking Elesia in the eye, it was kind of creepy, that eye, not the woman herself. She just laughed, noticing my discomfort; she then paused, turning to the left. A figure appeared out of the pit, she had tail. Kalani's eyes widened.

"Seven, find anything?"

Elesia's face had gone cold, stone, unfeeling. The face of a killer, yet somehow her face still held some form of beauty. The girl called Seven shook her head, plopping down on the ground, and eating a carrot, I noticed she didn't seem to have fingers. Well how about that…Elesia turned back to face me, her face unchanged.

"It would seem the one you fought with is not wholly gone, and sealing her doesn't seem to be possible here."

I groan; I had hoped I had taken her out for at least a while longer, there would be others searching as well, this could end badly. Servants of the pale king don't die when they are killed, something to do with the magic he has obtained. It is a fake magic, but still, its effects are enough to transpire worlds.

"Oh, here she comes again"

Elesia says it in a matter-of-fact way, pointing in the general direction of a large cyclone and a single figure in its center. With a grimace I stand, at this rate I'm going to get worn down by sheer repetition. Suddenly Elesia starts laughing, a soft fluttery laugh, and full of a life that is seemingly lost here in this world.

"Don't worry yourself girl, I will take care of this"

I open my mouth to stop her, but her back is already to face, a large weapon in her hands, that girl has vanished.

"Ho…I need some exercise"

***

It was like something out of a comic book. They moved at inhuman speeds, beyond the limits of normal understanding, beyond even abnormal understanding, kicking reality to the curb and creating it as they went. On a completely different level from me, that woman who laughed in the face of death, she wasn't even human anymore. Five minutes, against a servant. Five minutes, something I couldn't even think of doing, and she defeated that woman.

Blood rained down from Carmun's many wounds, impaled through the stomach, a large gaping hole where her kidney used to be oozed vital fluids. As the Caster fell to her knees, Elesia brought her weapon to bear, striking her through the head. Headless, Caster fell in a shower of sparks and fading prana.

"Holy shit"

That didn't even cover it; half of what I had just witnessed went against logic that had been carved into my brain eons ago. Servants are powerful; none of them should have been defeated so easily. But that woman was laughing, covered in blood, she laughed. And still, not even her impossible strength, would be enough to end this all. A sad smile plays out on my face, in the short time I have been alive, that is the only certain thing I have known.

That woman walks towards me, her icy blue eye flashing like a strobe light.

"You should leave now"

I just nod, so many worlds to traverse, in one of them I will find the one who can put a stop to this madness. There is always another half, there will always be a balance, and I just have to find them. The long month I have spent here have hardened me to that fact, there will be many more worlds like this. Many other versions of me as well, that was always awkward, meeting another you. Still, lingering questions are brought to the surface.

"Who, no, what are you?"

I can't help but ask that question again. The woman called Elesia smiles sadly.

"Just a girl who loved and lost, and now is trying to make up for her long past"

She turns away from me; somehow she looked so sad in that moment. Beyond humanity, what salvation does she have left to her, what peace is left for the blood stained?

"I don't know what you're searching for, but I hope you find it"

Her words are a small comfort, in the wide sea of worlds, I am just a goldfish. Luck has nothing to do with it; this is going to come down to a matter of fate. A daughter of fate, this was my path, forever and always. I just have to follow it to its end, and see where it takes me.

I open the way in my heart, searching for another, a promising world, and then I jump. Another world, another time, another place, ever running, never stopping until I reach that place.

Someone once told me that there are two different ways of running. Running away from something, or running towards something. I smile; I wonder which one I'm doing?


	23. Chapter 22 Instigator

**Chapter 22 Instigator **

**Future World**

**Fuyuki Airport**

Everything was silent, like a cloak had been draped over the entire world stifling it. So many questions to ask but we don't know how to ask, so we remain silent; the screaming of sirens off in the distance. A warm smiling attendant waves us to a car, still we are silent, our luggage packed into the back of the van like Tetris blocks, still silent. The car lurches to a halt, jolting us all out of our reverie. A crimson haired woman stood in the middle of the road, directly in front of us. Tohko's eyes narrowed, her brows furrowed.

"We have a big problem"

The crimson haired woman's eyes flashed, the entire world froze behind her.

"A really big problem"

With reluctance the van doors slid open, Tohko's glasses had been removed, her face cold as slate.

"Sister"

The punch was anticipated but unavoidable; the crimson haired woman took it right on the bridge of her nose and staggered backwards.

"300% interest"

The crimson haired woman stared.

"300% interest for what you borrowed from me Aoko"

Aoko just shook her head, dropping the suitcase which she held in one hand. A crowd of spectators looked on in wonder at the two beauties. A young boy was recording the entire thing on his father's camcorder, much to his mother's dismay.

"We have bigger problems then money…"

The two stare at each other for a moment and an unspoken agreement was made. Unfortunately the armistice between the two was all but stable.

***

**Dimensional Divide**

In a place where the pathway between worlds is thin, that man walked. His other selves going about their business in this world, he alone felt them as they moved.

With a smile the pale king entered the world, the first of many.

***

**Ryudoji Temple**

In that cold dark damp place I awoke once more. Everything hurt everywhere, no escape, pain, pain, more pain, nothingness. Questions, too few answers, where am I now? Why am I like this, why do I feel when there should be nothing left. Flashes of memory, a girl with a golden sword and brilliant white hot agony, just more pain, it is nothing.

The one called father walks towards me; soon his plans will come to and end. Soon this grail war will be over, and I will be completed, then his wish will be answered.

Soon, yes soon, it will be all over, no more pain, no more pain father, are you happy?

That man doesn't smile, I don't think he can anymore, twisted and broken, too many years he has lived. Too many years of darkness, I am a doll, I shouldn't feel these things, but even a doll has a heart.

***

**Elsewhere**

"We will go to the Ryudoji temple"

Rider wasn't listening to me speak; he never listened, so it was like talking to myself. It has been so many years, and he hasn't changed one bit, he is a servant, so it's not like I was expecting some big change anyways.

I sigh; I haven't changed in all these years either.

***

**Einzbern Ruins**

Berserker's wounds had healed, that man and his servant had been more powerful than expected. I grimace; the pain from manifesting this servant constantly was atrocious, but I can't stop now. I will have my revenge, that girl will die, even if I have to snuff her life out with my own two hands.

My laughter sounds so distorted, but I don't care, nothing matters anymore, because I'm running on nothing. There is no exit plan; everything will end at that moment.

***

**Emiya Household**

Everything was still exactly the same, that broom we had forgotten to put away was still leaning against the wall as well. The only difference was the large layer of dust covering…well everything. Rin sneezed. Sakura rolled up her sleeves. And Fujimura clung to my leg, despite my protestation she wouldn't let go, I wondered if she had somehow gotten younger in the time we had been gone.

There was a crash in the yard, or more like, it sounded like a meteorite had landed, or possibly a fallen satellite. I dragged Fujimura along with me as I went to check the source of the disturbance, vaguely remembering the houses layout had me sidetracked and detoured before I eventually got to the right point. I take a deep breath and pull the door open, in the middle of the yard a familiar woman stood, an unfamiliar girl in her arms. Sakura and Rin fell in behind me, obviously curious, Rin gasped as her eyes fell on the two.

"Saber"

The girl in the servant's arms stirs, opening her eyes and blinking at us, her face turned white. I was still confused by the appearance of my former servant, but even more so by the words that came out of that girl's mouth.

"MOM!?" her head swivelled to the side "AUNT RIN!?" she then focused on me and her eyes widened even further, and spoken like a faint whisper "Dad…"

***

**Ryudoji Temple**

It was cold up here, colder even then down in the city proper. This place had always held special memories for me, this is where it had happened that first time, and it was where I made that promise so very long ago. A promise that I couldn't keep, but I made it anyways, to that dying girl. And here I am, so long afterwards, maybe I can finally make up for that failed past.

The priest Kotomine turns away from me, disappearing into the temple itself, I stare out at the sea of trees. A girl appears in my peripheral vision, I stop, and my heart is beating so fast I think I'm going to die from cardiac arrest.

"Illya"

That girl turns to face me, a face I realize is not the same as my memory, and my smile falters. Still, she looks so much like that girl, so much it hurts.

***

**Deeper Underground**

"Oh, so you are the filth that I could smell from so far away"

That old man stood in the center of the room, I stared at him for a moment, and then I smiled. That man's face darkened.

"The two of us should have died along time ago; somehow I find it fitting that I am meeting you here after so very long"

Zouken turned his back to me, picking up a long slender blade from somewhere in front of him.

"Young fool, I don't plan to be stopped by the likes of you"

"Old man, I don't give a shit about your plans"

Nothing left to say, I draw those blades, three in each hand held between my fingers. But that old man was faster than should have been possible, that slender blade cutting into my shoulder with utmost precision. I felt my muscle slacken, the power in my arm fading away, I block his next blow with my still working arm. I grimace, cutting off my arm at the elbow, I have no use for its dead weight, and I don't think I will be leaving this place anyways. I have already accepted my end, I am a dead man, still, I want to see the end of this charade, and I want to see the end of this war with my own two eyes.

The blades cut into flesh, that old man crumples to the ground, finally dead. I sway for a moment and fall, all the strength in my body turning into dust, I linger for a moment, and then I'm lost in the darkness.

***

**Ryudoji Temple**

"So you are the grail"

The girl in white pauses; her violet eyes focusing on me, if I didn't understand what she was, I would probably mistake her for just another normal girl.

"Yes"

Her soft voice answers me; she walks towards me, a curious look on your face.

"Why am I drawn to you?"

A promise made a decade ago, in this moment alone I have to fulfill it. But I don't get the chance; it is stolen away from me. I stare down at the bloody hole in my chest, and then I'm falling, falling forwards in to that girls calm eyes, she doesn't fear death, and she doesn't understand it.

I fall to the ground and roll onto my back, staring up into the sky, staring up into my own face. The pale king smiles down at me.

"You will die like all the rest"

His words, my death, I have started a war all for this promise, but this man, this man is far beyond even me. A tear falls down my face, that girl in white is staring down at me.

"Why do you cry?"

She is asking me that while I am dying, I wonder how she could understand, but she was crying as well.

"I couldn't keep a promise"

The girl is looking down at me, my vision is blurring, but her voice sounded so loud in my ears.

"Then let me help you"

***

**Emiya Household**

_Fare thee well, little broken heart_

I stare into the eyes of the man I came to kill, and falter. My mother's eyes are watching me, my aunt's glare is burning into me, and still I have eyes only for him. Father the one who I never knew; except through stories told by those who knew him.

_Downcast eyes, lifetime loneliness_

I don't know when I started hating him; I think I hated him for dying. Because he left me and mom alone, because he hurt her, I wanted him to disappear.

_Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone_

But her I am, he is in front of me, and I am faltering.

_Constant longing for the perfect soul_

I think I am happy, happy to just see this man, who is my father, a tear falls unbidden down my face.

_  
Unwashed scenery forever gone  
_

Maybe if I had met this man as a child, I would love him as my mother did so very much. Even though he hurt her so, she never stopped loving him.

_  
Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone  
_

But this isn't my world, these aren't the people I know, they are similar, but different, I am a stranger to them.

_  
No love left in me_

An explosion rocks the world, a pillar of light shines in the distance; I watch it with clouded eyes. Somehow the world feels so distant now, like I am no longer a part of it, which in a way is true, just a stranger in a strange land.

_  
No eyes to see the heaven beside me_

"Sorry, I'm sorry"

_  
My time is yet to come_

I turn away from their faces, I have no words to speak to them, and my tears are stopping me anyways.

_  
So I'll be forever yours  
_

But I'm happy for you, Sakura, you are with the one you love in this place, you are not alone. Small comfort, I wipe the tears from my eyes, Saber is watching me.

_  
Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone_

I feel a pang in my heart, I didn't know that girl well, but she fought and died for me, the tears are falling even faster now. This pain in my chest won't go away, but I can't stop now, there is something I have to take care of here.

_  
No love left in me_

Someone started this war, and I am going to end it, I shouldn't even be here, but I don't care anymore.

_  
No eyes to see the heaven beside me_

I stare up into the clouds, it looked like it was going to rain, somehow it seemed fitting that even the sky would cry on this day.

_  
My time is yet to come_

Saber simply nods; she already knows what I want to do, without me even speaking it. A servant, I could feel the bond between us, stable, but I'm still unsure how such a thing occurred.

_  
So I'll be forever yours  
_

I glance back at those people and smile.

_  
No love left in me_

"Forgive me, and be happy"

_  
No eyes to see the heaven beside me_

"Who are you?"

Aunt Rin is staring at me, her face a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

_  
My time is yet to come_

"She must be Shirou-chan's illegitimate love-child!"

_  
So I'll be forever yours_

Fujimura doesn't help the situation, I continue to smile, my tears streaming down my face._  
_

_Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone  
_

"Just a girl, just a girl trying to change the world"

_  
Whatever walks in my heart?_

Trying to change the world, shit, I'm no hero of justice, this is plan crazy is what it is! Still, that distant horizon stretches closer, Saber takes me in her arms and we are soaring through the air. Towards that pillar of light, towards Ryudoji temple, my tears are blown away in the wind.

***

All around Fuyuki, others watched in wonder as a pillar of light shot into the heavens, amongst the spectators, masters and their servants moved towards the source of the commotion. The grail was coming to and end.

Still others watched as well, those who normally would not be in this place, who had learned of the distortions of the world but were unable to do anything.

And at the center of it all, a pale king, who ruled from a pale throne, watched with cruel eyes as his other self died.

In the incandescent light, a broken promise is fulfilled, and everyone watches in wonder. At that which could be called a miracle?


	24. Chapter 23 Meant to Live

**Chapter 23 Meant to Live**

**Ryudoji Temple**

_What can you see in front of you?_

The world is brilliant white, but all I see in front of me is you. That man stands with his servant tall; they stand between me and my goal.

_  
A world overflowing with multicoloured charms_

"Burn the world Berserker!"

The resounding roar is dwarfed by the sound of burning fire; the world would be engulfed in ruin.

_  
The most important things lie behind your eyelids._

Only something in the distance marches against me, an army, and a golden standard raised high above their heads, at the center that master and servant stand atop of golden chariot.

***

_  
Just close your eyes and you will see.  
_

The fading lights don't respond to me now, only you and I are in this dark world. You have seen unbearable pain, I'm so sorry; I can't do anything even at the end of my days.

_  
You, in the flashing light, were the only one who didn't disappear._

That girl disappears, bringing back the memory of one from so long ago.

_  
The most important things lie behind your eyelids, remember that._

In the dress of her ancestors that girl stands before me, smiling, something I haven't seen in a long, long time.

_  
I'm here, I'm here._

"My promise…"

_  
The warm clouds are coming closer_

"…fulfilled"

_  
Don't sleep, don't sleep._

"Illya, I'm sorry."

***

_Your vacant eyes begin to twinkle it's still too early to dream…  
_

The stone steps seem so much longer than before. That light is fading now; I can feel it as much as see it. Ten steps, five steps, the end is in sight. This foreboding feeling, I reach the top of the stairs, and stair into the eyes of the abyss.

_  
Everything you believe in gets closer_

On the ground two figures lay, above them that bloodstained man, he is darkness, he is death, and he is blackened beyond belief. It extends out of his soul and reaches out into the world, tainting the very ground he walks upon.

_  
I can see what holds me back clearly now there's a place only I know of  
_

Those swords fall into my hands by instinct alone, those words on my lips. Only to be mirrored in his actions, everything falls away, I don't even feel the woman next to me as her golden swords strikes out.

_  
Because the most important things are behind your eyelids it's not a dream I've just found _

White meets black, the golden blade is repelled by immaculate, I don't stop to think, just act. Nothing matters in this world; I don't even take time to notice the subtle changes in my actions. Step, slash, step, slash, my arm doesn't register the movements, my legs moving of their own accord. All the while a nagging feeling pervades my senses.

_The most important place  
_

That woman staggers back; a dark gash in her shoulder where that mans dual blades had struck her. I move into that opening without thought, meeting my mirror, a stalemate of similar techniques.

_  
I'm here, I'm here._

What is it I am forgetting, once again I am at that moment and I am hesitating, why? Why do I always get this far only to fall short, what is over the edge, what is past this distant horizon?

_  
A bird arcs across the sky._

The blade cuts through the dreams, my heart is torn to pieces by the metal, and I can see it all, the blood, crimson like a rose, that man on the ground. That girl as well, she looked familiar, now I understood why.

_  
Don't be quiet, don't be quiet!_

And even as these understandings reach me, I understand my own death, and the man that would be my end. But he shouldn't be here, no, this isn't correct, this is not my end, I reject this very notion. Why should I die at the hands of someone like this? Falling apart in a distant world, at the hands of a tainted man who is bringing about destruction?

_  
Just watch the dream go on and on._

"I was meant to live for so much more…"

_  
I search, lost, for the exit I tread recklessly on thorns_

Am I supposed to dream about providence? Who I am I to suggest that reality is not what it should be? I am only human, I am nothing, and I am me. Conceited, fragile, a small piece in a broken puzzle constructed by a jaded architect.

_  
The streaming blood is my overflowing emotions._

So why in this last moment do I reject it so, why at this very end am I still here, trying so hard, even though I should already be dead and gone.

_  
Why am I in such a hurry?_

"…Ahura Mazda"

_I'm here, I'm here._

The world burns in the distance, but that is a trivial matter. This world is made of points and lines, endlessly beyond that which we call existence I stand.

_  
The warm clouds are coming closer_

But I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't exist, my name, my home, my mind, they are not my own. So who am I now? Who is this girl who stands in my shoes, who watches the world with these eyes?

_  
Don't sleep, don't sleep._

"I am you, but I am not you, I am here, but I am not here. I am good, that is all I am, I am creation, and I am you."

_  
Your vacant eyes begin to twinkle it's still too early to dream…_

The world is in my hands, I can feel its fragile brilliance. Every minute change, everything thought, every form. All the worlds good, I stare into the eyes of the abyss, and see my other half; I see why I am here.

_I'm here, I'm here._

Broken balance, which is why I am here, after so long, I am awoken in this world because of this man. The worst possible future, even that bleak place has not yet been reached by this man, but he stands on the edge, soon he will fall, and the worlds will plunge into darkness.

_  
A bird arcs across the sky._

Endlessly, endless, the worlds beyond worlds hold so many possibilities, I can feel them, and the ones who struggle to make a difference. My broken heart mends; flesh growing in an instant, that magic is mine alone, I will inherit it as he intended.

_  
Don't die, don't die!_

In my hands I hold all of creation. Standing before this man, I cut him down, wings of light, the dark moon high in the sky.

_  
Paradise disappears when you close your eyes for the last time…  
_

That man only laughs as he fades into the darkness, disappearing beyond my focus. Already I feel my consciousness slipping back into that fragile state, into that girl. Nadeshiko, I hope we never meet, for on that day, the world will be over.

_Forgive me…and be happy._

"I'm sorry I can't do more, I am not as good as the world wishes me to be"

***

I'm dreaming, dreaming of that world in the far off distance. He stands before me once more. But I am not alone, not this time, there are others, we are not alone.

"I am not alone."

***

**Ryudoji Temple Grounds**

The light fades, the world engulfed in flames fades to black. Even as I open my mouth to speak I feel it disappear. Berserker turns to dust; I stare up at that figure, fading away.

Rider smiles down at his master, fading away once more and that man is laughing. All I feel is emptiness, the world is spinning, and I hit the ground with a smack, what was the real reason why I came to this place?

That girl stands before me, Illyasviel. Her outstretched hand, as if to ask me to follow her, I smile, I will follow her, the world fades to white.

***

**Ryudoji Temple**

On this cold stone I lay, staring up at the sky. Those wings of light are fading now; all around me is glistening light. That woman is smiling at me, her long blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. She is bidding her goodbyes, ah, the grail is gone now, and that is why. Yes, goodbye, Saber, thanks. She smiles, I can't speak but she understands all the same, turning towards the horizon, that girl looks so beautiful.

She turns back to look at me, "take care"

And then she was gone, swept up in the fading lights, gone to that place in the stars. All the strength in my limbs are gone, I can't move, I can't think, I can't even remember how I got here in the first place. But none of that matters; here in this place of fading lights, I am content.

Out of the light two figures walk, and man and a woman. Their pale hair nearly invisible in the light, I recognize that man as my father, and that girl as my aunt.

Illyasviel and Shirou, the distant memory of their corpses stills my heart. But they simply smile, asking me a simple question.

Do I want to change the world?

What the hell kind of person wouldn't want to do that? Still, not like this, I smile; maybe I have learned some sort of lesson in this place. I will change the world, not the past; there is no future in that.

That gateway opens up before me once more, those two are still smiling, and I fall through it into that familiar world.

Have I grown since I have been gone? Have I matured? I have witnessed so much death and destruction, yet I still feel wholly myself, like this was all just some distant dream.

***

**Sakura's World**

I walk out of the light into the twilight of light, but I am not alone, figures stand before me. A startled gasp, hands reach out towards me and I am trapped in a warm embrace.

"If you ever do something as stupid as that again…"

Aunt Rin trails off, holding me tightly, I am not used to such displays of affection from her, but I wrap my hands around her nonetheless. I am all she has left now, I realize that now, I'm sorry. I smile at my granddad, he was for some reason lifting up another girl from the ground, questions would be asked about this later.

Rin tenses suddenly, the warmth in her embrace fading to icy cold.

In the center of the street, amidst corpse, stood a single black figure, covered in steel black as midnight. I instinctively recognize that familiar sensation, servant.

From behind me I hear an unfamiliar voice speak.

"Oh not again"

Anything else that I might have been able to hear was drowned in the roar of a bullet being fired. I'm pushed back; Rin is in front of me, a jewel in her hands. Beside her stands my Grandfather, Emiya Kiritsugu.

***

**Throne World**

On that pale throne the pale king sat, brooding. The worlds would fall under his sway, their power added to his own, for he has conquered his own world and become stronger than it. Soon, he would amass the power of all the worlds, and he would rule them all. Soon, he would be able to bring her back, back from the darkness.

With a laugh the Pale king set his sights on another world, another place to conquer, another step towards his goals.

All the while, in worlds both separate and far apart, others move as well, both to aid, and prevent him from achieving his goal.

Still, it is a small wonder than such a good intention, would turn into something so wrong, for the love of another, this man cast aside the entire universe. The worlds will end for him, and he will have her and her alone, until the end of time.

That is his Promise.


	25. Chapter 24 Second Genesis

**Chapter 24** **Second Genesis**

_Grant me some small respite, its been ten thousand more years, and still I wander tired and lost, all in search of you. But for now, I will close my eyes, and sleep awhile, dreaming of you._

**Prime World**

I had a strange dream yesterday, about a fire that swept through the city and killed so very many. The dream was strange because in that fire a saw a lone boy, who walked through the swath of death and destruction. Stumbling and blind, that boy continued forwards, until the fires consumed him.

A memory of my childhood, I remember watching that child stand up time after time, even as his burnt body failed him. So I stood up as well, because I couldn't let that boy stand alone, and when he fell for the last time, I carried on. Until I too was consumed by flame, and fell into the soft embrace of the earth. Staring up at the dark red sky, I saw that man's face, he took me into his and when I awoke I was in a hospital.

I don't know what happened to that boy in the fire, I was told there were no other survivors and that I was a lucky girl to have survived. But luck had nothing to do with, if it wasn't for that boy, I too would have burnt to death. Really, I wish he could have taken my place; surely his life would have been something wonderful?

I would like to think my parents would be proud of me. But I really think they are more scornful about how my grades are slipping and my infatuation with television dramas. It's been a decade since that fire; still it slips into my mind on occasion. I have a scar on my back to remind me of it, and possibly some latent trauma according to my doctor. I think it's more the stress that's getting to me now, and if you say a teenager's life isn't stressful you haven't been one for a long time.

A gentle knock at the door shook me out of my reverie, I glanced at the wall clock, and it was just past six-thirty, so that must be Sakura at the door. I quickly give myself a once over, and then head for the door, Sakura smiled as I opened it. She had taken to coming over after I had had an accident at school, during school activates my old scar ached and I injured my arm trying to regain my balance.

I can't say I don't enjoy her company, though it irks me to no end that a girl younger than me can cook better, and has bigger boobs to boot! A shake my head, these are not the kind of thoughts I should be having, still I can't help but notice the swell of her chest. I turn away so she doesn't see the look on my face, its better that she doesn't see something like that.

"Sempai?" her soft voice breaks the silence, she raises a bag in her hands up and reaches out towards me. "Is something that matter?" I sigh, faking a smile.

"Nothing is the matter; I think I'm still a little bit tired is all" Sakura beams at me, raising her arms up.

"Don't worry sempai, I'll take care of it!" she says so cheerfully, I just walk away sullenly, wondering how my life had turned out this way, I have no conviction, and maybe I should just die.

I retire to my room, trying to shake the gloom and failing horribly. Sakura hums to a tune that has been playing on the radio recently, it was a popular song but I can't seem to remember its name. Shrugging I get dressed for school, somewhat grateful for Sakura being such a great cook as a enticing smell wafted into my room.

Truthfully I wasn't that bad a cook; it's just that Sakura's skill was out of this world. She can make potatoes just about any way you can think of, and I'm not exaggerating in the least. Just as I was about to take my seat a loud racket came from the yard, it sounded like something was roaring. With a crash the screen door was pulled back reveal a scene that might have been hell. In the middle of the grassy yard was the black metal of a motorcycle, Fujimura-sensei stood in the doorway looking at me with wide eyes. "Whoa that was close, is breakfast ready yet?"

"Almost" I say half-heartedly, wondering how this woman ever became a teacher at the same time.

"Good, cause onee-chan is going to be late at this rate" I arch my eyebrow at that, with her transportation half buried in my yard I could only imagine her running to school at a breakneck pace. Sakura chose that time to enter the room, whatever it was that she made, it smelt good.

"Itadakimasu"

Fujimura ate and dashed in record time, somehow I got the feeling she had had practice with this sort of thing but that wasn't something I should bring up in a conversation. Sakura tapped her umbrella on her shoe as she stood by the door; she looked at me who didn't have one in hand. "It's supposed to rain today Sajyou-san" I mutter something about it being fine and she puffs out her face waving her finger in her face. "You should bring one just in case; it won't do you any good if you get sick!" I sigh, taking an umbrella off the rack, she smiled opening the door, I glanced back at the clock, and it was just past seven.

"I'm off", I call back to no one, and this house was empty now.

The walk to school was uneventful, trivial talk about trivial things, followed by an accustomed silence. I grimaced as I stepped through the open school gates; in front of me was someone who I had not wished to see. Matou Shinji, Sakura's brother, he smiled at me, yet somehow he simply came off as a jackass. I ignored him and brushed on past, Sakura followed, that sweet smile on her face the whole time. We used to be friends Shinji and me, but somewhere along the way we drifted apart, and now I just can't stand him anymore. I sighed, looking down I almost walked right into someone who stood in front of the doors. I caught myself just in time and looked into the clear eyes of Tohsaka Rin, I sucked in my breath. She glanced down, eyes focusing on my face, a warm smile "you should watch were you are going Sajyou-san." I stare back at the school idol, lost for words, she hadn't even registered me a moment before. I sidestep her and enter through doors, bidding her good morning at the same time. Sakura remained silent, somehow I got the feeling Rin only had eyes for her.

There was no Archery practice today, so I went with Sakura to the rooftop. A cold breeze fluttered through my hair, I could see the crowd of students walking through the school gates. The sky was steadily turning dark, great grey storm clouds approaching on the horizon. I glance down at the umbrella and sigh. "You were right Sakura" she didn't say a thing; she just watched my back silently. Time passed in silence, and then the school bell rang and I quickly picked up my stuff, heading to class.

Fujimura-sensei hadn't arrived yet; I walked into the classroom to find it full of gossiping students and a lethargic atmosphere. Nobody was worried about class; it was a common occurrence for our teacher to be late. I sat down in my desk and stared out the window. A fly buzzed angrily, butting against the pane of glass, desperately trying to reach the other side. But that's impossible, a fly can't break through glass, not matter how hard it tries, that place beyond is impossible to reach for it. No amount of effort can make up for it, only something with power would be able to escape such a fate. I smile cruelly, "little fly, you and I are same, we can't change the future, just too weak..."

The glass cracks, a small crack, but I saw it. That fly continues its relentless attack; I stare at that place where the glass had shifted, just slightly. It could be just a coincidence caused by shifting warm and cold air. I get out of my seat, opening the window a crack, the fly zips out without warning, and I watch it go. "Maybe you're not like me, you don't give up..."

I excuse myself from the classroom, saying I was feeling ill and tell the class president to inform Fujimura-sensei when she showed up. The nurse's room was empty so I signed myself in and took a bed, staring up at the ceiling; it wasn't long until I fell asleep again.

I had that dream again. Stumbling and blind, that boy continued forwards, until the fires consumed him. Even though the path behind him was one of death, he continued on. Even though there was nothing but fires, and the cries of the dying, he continued on. Where did he want to go? Why was he still going? As I stared at his distant back, I wondered these things. I tried my hardest to follow him, but in the end I fell short.

I awoke in a cold sweat and to a sharp pain striking down my lower back. I shifted clumsily to my side in the white linen sheets and rubbed the tender spot on my skin. It felt hot to touch; the smooth scar ran nearly in parallel with my spine. I shuddered as I ran my cold fingers down its length. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my breathing, the pain was disappearing, and things like this happen a lot. I don't think my body will ever forget this pain; it has been seared into me like a brand.

It was quiet; I pushed back the soft curtains surrounding my bed and stared out the window. The sun was low in the sky; I had slept a lot longer than I had planned to. There was a gentle rustling of clothing, the school nurse smiled, "Ah, Sajyou-san, you're awake, are you feel better?" I fake a smile, telling her I was feeling just fine now, when in truth I felt worse than when I had come here.

I quickly fled the room, wondering if she had noticed the sweat drenched sheets behind me. I reached my classroom and caught my breath for a moment, collecting my things absent minded. I clucked my tongue, remembering a promise from yesterday, I was to help clean out the storage shed behind the gym. I glance at the clock; it was past five-thirty, Sakura had probably already left for home. I sigh in resignation; I will finish off whatever is left then.

The shed was thankfully unlocked, took a quick inventory. Nothing was missing, which was a blessing in itself. Most of the work had already been finished, so I just touched up some things and swept and dusted. Satisfied, I turned to leave, and heard the clash of metal. I opened the door a crack, it was dark outside but I could still see the two figures out on the field.

A man clothed in black and red, wielding curved blades of blade and white. His unusual attire was matched well by his opponent. She was a beautiful woman; a skin-tight black strip of fabric ran from over thighs to armpits, similar fabric covered her arms. She had long violet hair, and a mask covering her eyes and obscuring her face. She carried a two daggers connected by a long chain in her hands. I froze, I knew in my heart this was something I shouldn't be seeing. But I couldn't seem to look away.

The man in red struck first, knocking back her dagger with his black falchion, striking at her with his second. She caught it at the hilt with her second dagger and whipped her chain around, using the moment to jump upwards and kick out at him. He took it in the chest and stumbled back, already blurring through the motions of blocking the dagger that was hurtling towards him.

It sped up, faster, a never ending tempo. I couldn't keep up; they were moving at inhuman speeds, my eyes couldn't focus on anything but the flash of clashing metal and the occasional blur of color. It was like someone was filming a movie, only the special effects were affecting reality.

I finally tore myself away, willing my frozen body to move. As I turned away, I felt eyes on my back. I ran, ran from that place, hoping against hope that I was wrong.


	26. Chapter 25 Rise

**Chapter 25 Rise**

The house was cold and quiet; I shut the door with a slam behind me, locking it. I was irrationally scared, for good reason, but it was still irrational. So it was no surprise that I nearly screamed when I heard a knock at the door, just minutes after I had returned home. I opened it, trying to keep my hands from shaking as I did. Outside stood Sakura, a bag held in her hands, and a frown on her face.

"I heard you weren't feeling well so I decided I would make you dinner" I sighed, opening the door and gesturing her inside. "Are you okay sempai?" I smiled shakily, not entirely sure how to answer her. She just smiled, closing the door behind her. I took off my shoes and walked down the hallway, shadowed by Sakura. She helped herself to the kitchen, really, it was more her kitchen than my own.

I went into the living room, trying to ease the tension, trying to relax. I sat down, a breeze ruffled through the room; I stared at the door that was half open leading out to the yard. I got up to shut it, but a hand stopped me. In the doorway stood that violet haired woman, and behind her was Matou Shinji. Before I could even move she struck me in the stomach, it felt like I was hit by a piece of cement. I fell to the floor coughing, the wind knocked out of me.

Behind me Sakura was saying something, Shinji was laughing, and he stood right in front of me looking down at me while I struggled to breathe. My back was aching, that scar was burning into me, and tears were welling up in my eyes. He mistook it for pain that the violet woman had inflicted and laughed even more. "I will be kind because we were once friends, you can become mine, or die" he laughed again. I caught a glimpse of Sakura's face, she wasn't crying, it was a dolls face. That's right, from the very moment I met her, and I knew she was broken, broken like me. She has known unbearable pain; it doesn't show on her skin, it is in her very soul. Still, I accepted her for who she was, and I think she was happy. I don't know how good a friend I have been, but I like to think that her smile is a real one.

_You've been hurt by unbearable pain and Sadness_

I struggled to raise myself up off the ground, Shinji scoffed at me, kicking me in the stomach. I rolled onto my back and nearly screamed as that scar reacted to the cold surface of the floor. Pain like this, I wonder what you have felt? I glance back at Sakura's still form, someone like me. "Become yours?" I grimaced, "you've got to be fucking kidding me."

_Together, let's carry each other's incredible pasts_

Shinji's face grew dark, her turned away from me, "Rider, kill her."

_Don't give up on living!  
_

I stared right at the violet haired woman as she raised her dagger, only someone got in the way. Sakura was in front of me and that blade of death, "Rider, Stop!" her command made that violet haired woman waver, but Shinji laughed in her face.

_I want to protect you and your fading smile _

"Rider is my servant, she won't obey you now, knock her out of the way" A moment's hesitation and then the violet haired woman knocked Sakura away with her hand. She fell to the floor in a heap; I couldn't tell if she was breathing.

_So we should wither  
_

"Your own sister, you would treat your own sister this way?" I stared at the man Shinji had become, and was disgusted. That boy flashes through my mind, never faltering. I raised myself up off the ground; my entire body was burning now. Beating down a broken girl is nothing special, but I can't just sit around watching that. Pain can't be measured, if it hurts cry out; don't hold it all back in a bottle. I would like to be the person who she could comfort in, but maybe I'm just not good enough.

_Even if it's scratched away by the  
_

Shinji just cackled, "Die now would you?"

_Winds that blow with time  
_

I stared right into his eyes and smiled, "why don't you just bite me."

_I will find you  
_

Iridescent white light overshadowed the darkness for a moment, from the side of the room a terrible roar. Tearing through the wall a man smashed into the woman called Rider, his lance slashing through the air with a rushing sound like a hurricane. Shinji disappeared outside, Rider took up a defensive stance, but in a room like this she was at a disadvantage. The man rested a hand on my shoulder. "So you are my master" He looked down at the still form of Sakura and frowned, turning to Rider he pointed his lance at her. Rider paused for a moment before dashing out of the room, retreating into the night. The man tensed again and rushed outside, I went after him, unsure as to what was going on.

_Who've been hurt by unspeakable pain and sadness  
_

Under the rays of the moon the crimson swordsman stood, that man struck at him with his lance. It was deflected off the back of the blades. At the same time he reversed his grip, and brought its length back, holding it at half length with one hand, his other at his hip. Staring into the grey eyes of the crimson swordsman he drew a sword from his side, a golden blade, shining gloriously.

_Don't say that "I can't laugh" or "I hate people"  
_

"Archer, get out of the way!" A cry pierce the night, the man known as Archer watched as that man drew a blade from his side and called out its name.

_There's meaning in everything to happen in the unseen future  
_

"EXCA-"

_For now, you're fine as you are, I know a time when_

I wanted to call out, but my throat seemed to be sealed shut, still I struggled and finally a single word slipped out of my mouth, "...stop..." He froze where he stood, blade half drawn, word half formed on his lips, and sheathed it. He made no objection, and turned to me, his lance fading away. I stared at the approaching figure, a girl I had seen earlier this morning, Tohsaka Rin.

_You'll realize it, you and I too have spoken_

She stood next to the crimson swordsman called Archer and whispered a word that was both a blessing and a warning "Servant Saber" I passed out, wondering the meaning behind those words as the windswept all around me.

_One day we'll understand each other_

***

I was sore all over when I woke up; there was a familiar humming coming from the kitchen and an unfamiliar presence watching me. I gingerly raised myself off the bed; across the room resting against one wall was that man from yesterday. Everything came back at once and I groaned, and his eyes flickered open. He was wearing a pair of beige slacks and a black shirt, a vast difference from the armour he had wore last night. I stared at him, he stared back.

"...Sajyou Ayaka..." I stretched out my hand; he looked puzzled for a moment and then took it.

"Arthur Pendragon" an honest and straightforward answer, I stared into his green eyes.

"Nice to meet you imaginary friend-san" I smile as warmly as I can and then pause..."You're joking right?"

"No" a simple answer.

I nod, lifting myself up and walking out of the room, I'm delusional, and I've got to be. I wave to Sakura as I walk past the kitchen, I was still wearing my clothes from yesterday and I was in desperate need of a shower. Entering the bathroom I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked like a mess, there was a dark purple bruise forming just bellow my lower lip. I took off my shirt and examined the large bruise that stretched across my abdomen. "Uh, not a dream" I touched it tenderly, wincing in pain as my finger pressed into a particularly brilliantly shaded purple patch of flesh. My back flared but I ignored it, stripping the rest of my clothes off and throwing them into the hamper.

The hot water was soothing, I let it run down my front and back, drenching my hair. I swayed for a moment under the warmth. A gentle knock at the door announced Sakura's arrival. "Sempai, I've brought you a change of clothes and a towel" the door shut with a snap. I immersed myself in the sound of the falling water, escaping into a different world for a moment.

I dressed in silence, towelling myself off and walking out of the steamy room. Sakura was still in the kitchen, she turned as I came up behind her. She had a bandage on her chin, her hair was loose and fluttered behind her, and a pot was boiling something on the stove. "Hey...are you okay?" I ask her.

She smiles turning back to the stove "yes I'm just fine sempai"

"No, I mean, are you okay" I said so more forcefully, staring at her hunched shoulders.

"Y-yes, I'm just fine" she stutters, obviously not just fine, but I let her be.

"You can talk to me whenever, because we are friends" I said something casually, but the meaning behind it made her shake. Maybe she had glimpsed my pain as well, but we had never talked about such things.

"...friend"

I thought I heard her say something, but she went back to tending the stove, humming softly. Again, I wondered what her reason for living truly was. And again, I wondered about my own.

In all my life, all I have understood is pain, my own and others, and the meaninglessness of it all. I stare out at the blue sky through the open door; Fujimura-sensei's motorcycle was still unceremoniously crashed in the yard.

The man who named himself Arthur walked into the room; I glanced back at him and tried to smile but failed. Instead I pulled off some kind of half-smile-frown combination that probably distorted my face. I realign my face to normal in a moment, turning away from his questioning stare. "So...Arthur, what exactly are you?" I say so in a casual tone, curling my hair with my finger.

"You mean you don't know?" I paused, staring up at his puzzled face, my own face mirroring his own.

***

**Elsewhere**

Two figures watched the bustling city with varying wariness. One a woman in a suit more fitting for a man, but she still managed to look attractive. And the other a man in a blue body suit augmented with armour, he held a blood-red lance in one hand, a bored look on his face.

"Just find a hotel" the woman frowned, glaring down at the city, "how does this city not have any hotels!?" she groaned, the large suitcase behind lying on the cold stone floor of the building they were standing on.

"I think I found one" the Lancer grinned down at his master who pulled out a pair of binoculars. After a quick scan of the place he had pointed she froze. Her lips pursed into a firm line.

"A love hotel" her words were shaky and her eyebrows rose. "Are an idiot!?"

"Was worth a try" the Lancer shrugged while his master grumbled, something about there being a love hotel and not an actual hotel anywhere. Several moments later, she turned to face him.

"You're sleeping on the floor" the Lancer put on a hurt face as she went and picked up her suitcase. He faded into the black background of the sky, a smile on his face.


	27. Chapter 26 Conflicting View

**Chapter 26 Conflicting View of a Dark lit sky**

**Garden World**

I jumped, and fell. There was something in the will of the universe that said you just have to injure yourself every time you cross over time and space. I curse karma for the umpteenth time, cosmic run-away princess that I am; I landed on my face in a dignified manner. I sort of just flopped there for a moment, taking in my surroundings. A small glade of trees in the middle of an apartment complex, I stared at a long scaffold clinging to the grey cement wall and stretching up into a turquoise sky. Suddenly a shadow loomed over me; I instantly braced myself only to realize I didn't have anything on me that could be remotely considered a weapon.

"Do you often fall asleep in public places?" A kind smile and wry humour, my heart skips a beat as I stare into the face of a young man. He had a single visible eye; it was a light shade of yellow and was staring at me intently. The other half of his face was a burnt twisted mess, I recoiled from it. He looked a little surprised, and then the good humoured smile returned. "So you can see it can you? I thought it was odd that a girl had fallen out of the sky." I paused, falling out of the sky? I vaguely remember screaming, and falling, and...Ouch. I rub my back and roll into a sitting position, I was still kind of sore, but a nice leafy bush had cushioned my fall, to which I was grateful. I tried to smile at the man, but couldn't really, so I just stretched out my hand.

"I'm Inanna, falling out of the sky girl" I instantly try to take back what I just said but it was impossible. He just laughed, taking my outstretched hand and shaking it.

"I'm Yoru" his jet black hair served to cover the mangled side of his face, that one eye positively twinkled, I felt myself swooning but caught myself. Still this place was odd for an odd world, as far as I could tell, Yoru as he called himself was the only one around besides me. I turned to ask him about this but stopped when I saw the look on his face; it was one of anguish, sorrow, and love. Then I felt the presence, I turned to see a girl standing in a ruined doorway. Like Yoru, half her face was twisted, a single yellow eye blaring with such radiance. She had long golden hair that was flecked with scarlet, like it was on fire. "Asa..."

"Onii-san, who is this..._woman_" Asa spoke with obvious disdain as she stared at me with piercing eyes. If looks could kill, this girl would have murdered me in a blink and batted her eyelashes like nothing had happened. She stormed towards us, hair aflutter in the wind; she grabbed Yoru by the arm and yanked him towards her. It would have been an endearing and protective gesture if he wasn't nearly a foot taller than her, and if they were several years younger. She glared at me from behind him, accusing me of an unfounded seduction with her eyes. I just sighed, turning to face Yoru once more.

"Where exactly am I?" it was a simple enough question, but the answer was what shocked me.

Yoru turned and walked away from me, a small frown on his face. "Far, far away from home, this broken world is starting to fail like many others." I sucked in my breath; the entropy had reached here already. I stared past Yoru and saw it for the first time, that broken world. Giant chasms full of rivers of crimson fire, the turquoise sky above was stained black, a dying red sun floated lazily in the sky. "Soon this world will fall..." Yoru was watching me now, a serious look on his face. "...why have you come here?"

"To stop this" that was always my wish. I made it a long time ago, how many years has it been? How many lifetimes have I lived since I stopped my time? To escape from that man who destroyed my world. Emiya Shirou, my father, but at the same time not, I am a daughter that should not exist. I am a contradiction borne out of a failed experiment. I am not even human, so I have often wondered about my own existence, why was I born into that world? My father is broken, he was once a good man, of that I am sure, but out of the greatest good comes the greatest evil. It is a story from over ten thousand years ago.

**Throne world, Ten thousand years ago**

It was a different time, it was a different place, and it was pure. She laughed, a smile of utmost delight, at such a simple thing. Her mother was a being of beauty, untainted by the darkness; she shone with such radiant beauty. And he, the man of her dreams, living only for her, his everything only for her.

It was perfect. Something that is impossible, so it broke, and shattered into thousands of pieces.

The laughter stopped, the young girl grew into a silent teenager, watching her mother fade away. It is a story that has been repeated, that mother died, that father fell to pieces, and that girl was left alone. Until that girl too faded into oblivion and was lost. In the pits of hell that man found resolve, and tore apart the world in search of an answer.

"Why must she die?"

For such a short time, he glimpsed eternity, now it is lost. With hands of light he touched the world and took it for himself. That man became something else; he became something more, and lost something at the same time.

That man was called Emiya Shirou, the Pale king. And from that moment, the darkness spread. Out of the shadows many were born on wings of death, a child who would become princess, a clone of a lost person, a daughter born of magic. But she rejected it; she gained a soul and fled. Her name was Inanna.

For ten thousand years she ran, and for ten thousand years he saw. The world that is, the world it would become. And he rejected it, taking it and shaping it into something new. The worlds that once were, are no more, he has destroyed them, consuming them and becoming something more, something inhuman. All for that wish, all for that person, too bring back the dead an impossible goal.

But he will make the impossible possible, even if the worlds will break in the process. The balance is breaking; soon the worlds will plunge into nothingness.

But still someone stands in his way, the last daughter of a dead girl, the one who holds the balance in her hands. The daughter of a lost man, her name is Nadeshiko. She will be the last one to choose, she will be the final judge.

Will the world die for that wish? Will everything end, for just one person? If you loved someone, would you kill to bring them back? The daughter from a thousand years ago asked herself the same questions. The end is coming, but it is still far off yet.

**Garden World**

"I'm sorry, I can't stay here, and I still have to find her." A sad smile, I try to lock away those feelings.

"Who are you looking for?" Yoru is staring at me with differently somehow, I shake my head, turning away.

"The one who will change the world" I reach into my pocket, it's been so long, and I've searched so very long, how much longer will it take? A hand firmly grips my shoulder; I glance back at the stern face of Yoru.

"I'm coming with you" behind me I could feel Asa turn scarlet, call it female intuition but I brushed him off.

"You shouldn't" he interrupted me even before I finished.

"What do we have here to stay for? The world is dying, we having nothing left here." Asa was silent, watching her brother and watching me. "Even I can feel the death coming, when the world dies, we will go with it."

My left pocket is a wonderland, I reached into its depths, opening that place in my heart. I glance back at those two. "Are you sure?" a silent nod, Asa grips her brother tight, like she would never let him go. I step through, behind me they follow. Maybe I am just lonely, maybe the pain is finally getting to me, but I feel kind of relieved that I am not alone this time, even if just for a moment.

**Prime World**

A flash of light illuminated the grungy looking alleyway; three figures unceremoniously fell in union onto the cold and dirty pavement. A cat hissed in warning, hunching its back and glaring. Inanna groaned Yoru lay on his back beside her; Asa sat atop him comfortably and was calmly survey the world around her. "Where are we?" she asked innocently.

A man with a crimson lance stood in the mouth of the alley, at the far end was a brick wall, a woman with a suitcase stood beside him. Inanna groaned again, "we are in trouble is what" even from on the ground she could feel what that man was, a servant. Rolling onto her back and closing one eye, Inanna cautiously glanced at the pair; both had stopped moving and were looking at the spectacle with a mixture of apprehension and guarded mirth. Asa stood with her face carefully blank.

"So...are you friend..." her delicate fingers stretched into crimson red claws, her single eye turned a violent shade of gold with waves of icy blue and crimson red irregularly flashing in its depths. "...or foe..." her stance changed to one of experience, Yoru silently raised himself up as well, his single eye flashing much the same way.

"Hey, hey, don't get hasty" Inanna tried to speak words of reason, but the murderous intent stopped her. That man in blue stepped forwards, and was in front of them in an instant. His lance shot forwards and met Asa's crimson claws, he stepped back, a grin fixed on his face, and he was evidently impressed. With a twirl of his hand the shaft of the lance stuck Asa in the face, without warning its tip flashed through the darkness and plunged into her heart.

"Tch" the man clucked his tongue, tearing his crimson lance out of her body and letting her fall, Yoru was silent. He returned to his unusual stance, lance pointed downwards, facing Yoru with a guarded expression. Only to turn in shock as the girl he had just impaled stood up. She turned to look at him, it was a single moment, he was defenceless, and she reached out and gripped him by the neck. Not even a servant would survive losing their head, Lancer froze. "Oh, girl, you're something else surviving that" He didn't seem to mind too much that he could be beheaded at any moment.

"Stop" the woman finally spoke, walking towards them, something clenched firmly in her hands. Asa turned to face her, hand still clenched firmly on the blue Lancers neck, her claws digging into his flesh. The woman stood in front of her, her eyes staring intently at her. Asa let go and turned away, the woman sighed in relief, and the Lancer simply rubbed his neck. "...why didn't you kill him?" she asked, staring at the trio.

"We aren't masters in the war", Inanna chose to spoke, Yoru was watching the pair silently, Asa clutched the side she had been stabbed on and grimaced.

"Then what are you?" That woman's face was full of confusion and worry, and a nagging curiosity.

Heedlessly, a wry smile fell onto Inanna's face. "That's quite a long story actually..."


	28. Chapter 27 Dead Rising

**Chapter 27 Dead Rising**

_Hey, I'm dreaming. So many faces, so many things and places I have never seen. This world, it's so incredibly vast, I feel so small, like a piece of driftwood in an endless ocean. But it's not even that, these people and places and things, they are beyond the world I know, they are beyond even that. I'm dreaming, dreaming, why am I dreaming?_

**Empty World**

Deafening silence, silence is louder even than the noise that came before. The man's corpse falls to the ground, his body severed cleanly in two. The noise restarts as he falls, a bloody mess of entrails haphazardly connecting the two halves of his body. Shock had set in as he started down at the bloody mess, face obscured by a ski mask.

I watch with unchanging eyes, watch as the life simply drains out of him, seeping into the floor and staining. His eyes turn to me, a desperate pleading in them; those that are alike are drawn to each other, and at the same time repulsed. Our eyes met for a moment, in them a thousand emotions passed, he watched me for a moment and then those eyes closed. A violent death, yet his face looked so peaceful. Everything rushed back to me; people were running away, pushing against each other and diving under furniture, anything to get away. A little girl tripped and was trampled, her dying shrieks unheard by the people who walked over her delicate body. The bank teller behind me had disappeared, without thought I vaulted over the desk, ignoring the cry of protest a man made as he shuffled beneath his desk, his was pressing a red switch with his finger, so much so that it was almost held down.

Fear, panic, chaos; It passed through me like nothing, like air, I took a deep breath and felt it awash right through me. Sinking into my blood; fusing with my body; like fire, burning me up from the inside, this emotion: rage. My arm blazed azure with light, words are unneeded, and I ripped the steel door apart with a single blow. It called to me, that thing, like whispers of a child in my ears. It lighted the way, drawing me to it, without thinking I tore the box out, ripping open the cover. Inside, immaculate and sparkling; a kaleidoscope of colors; its glowing radiance cascaded across the walls, ceiling, and floor. As I gripped it in my hand it glowed white, whispering, telling me things I couldn't possibly know. One word grew louder above all others, and then another, until a single sentence pounded in my ears, like someone was screaming. "By the power of Dimension, I call upon thee" there was a blinding flash of light, "KALEIDOSTICK" the transcendent light focused in my hands, a slender object fitting perfectly into my palm, like it was made for me.

"Stand-by, ready" a soft voice emanated from the thing in my palm, it looked to be a cross between a children's toy and a walking staff, but half length and...It talked. "Initiating transformation sequence" the voice was speaking without regard for others, I stare at it for a moment.

"Transformation sequence...Wait!?" crimson light spewed out and touched my skin, leaving a tingling warmth in its wake, fabric disappeared and reappeared differently, Bache pants and black shirt fading into nothingness. A frilly white skirt fit neatly on my hips, a red jacket buttoning itself from the middle up, crimson gauntlets slipping into my fingers and rolling themselves up my arm, a crimson jewel in the cuff of each gauntlet at the wrist. A pink wave of fabric fell down my back in twin curtains on each side, attached to a golden pin and hidden under the collar of the red jacket. There, bellow the golden pin rested that brilliant white gem, smaller now than before, were once it was the size of my fist, now it was closer to the size of a fingernail. Ruby earrings appeared next and fluffy ears on my head like a cat, and a tail. There was no time to fret over how idiotic I looked, the whispers in my ears were right, I was here and I could do something about this.

"Zamber-form" the Kaleidostick reacted before I even spoke, thinning and elongating until its shape resembled a rapier like blade, pure crimson with a black hitless pommel. With blazing eyes I walked out of the vault awash in light, ignoring the wide eyes of the man who upon discovering me had ceased his insistent pushing of the silent alarm. I felt the pull of the blade, a sentient thing that called to me, and I answered it.

The man with the silver hand and the blade of light turned, a small smile fell on his face, for now he had found an opponent. "By the power of dimension, I, Kaleido Ruby will do justice upon you" I spoke without thought, the blade of light cut through the air, meeting crimson. My hands shook terribly from the shock of the blow, I stared up at the man as he laughed, toying with me. It made me pissed off. And I think it made the Kaleidostick pissed off at the same time, I had a moment of light-headedness as I thought over the physical ramifications of such a stunt but that was all brushed aside as smashed his fist into my face and sent me flying into a wall.

"Commence annihilation" the Kaleidostick mirrored my sentiments, besides that really hurt. It's not enough that I can't remember and it's not enough that I am in some strange place; it's not enough that this asshole had to show up at this damn place. This moment, every moment, I can't deal with all this shit; I shouldn't have to deal with all this. A screaming sound, a child stares with wide eyes as I pull myself out of the ruined wall.

"Schweinstein" the word tingled as it left my lips.

"Go to hell asshole" The Kaleidostick responded as it morphed into a shape words don't describe. Wings of light and crimson red; an azure like crystal steadily revolving in the center, and surrounded by crimson claw-like things, light seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I pointed it at that man with one hand, cocking my head.

I pulled the bowstring back, an arrow of light winking into existence as I let go. "Bang"

There was a gentle breeze, I stared up at the sky, and it was a beautiful blue. Water was trickling onto my cheek. My entire body felt like a boxer had tenderized me like a piece of meat. My right arm was in particular sore, I tentatively glanced at it, and a dark purple bruise ran up and down from wrist to my shoulder. It was at that point that I realized that I wasn't wearing any clothing, not that this was the first time that had happened.

The Kaleidostick was still held firmly in my hand, it was charred black and was for the moment silent. I appeared to be in a fountain, or what used to be one as I had effectively broken it. I stared at the path of wreckage in front of me, at least three city blocks and I had been knocked back by the force of the blow. And out of that smoking hole that man walked, silver hand and blade alight. Black blood stained his upper torso and shoulders, I could see his exposed lungs constrict and relax with each breath, blood and viscous fluid dripping down in an obscene fashion.

I groaned, trying to force my body into moving, with much difficulty and protest I managed to shakily stand up. Strips of fabric fell off my skin, bruised, battered, bloody and now naked I faced the man with a brave face. A hand clamped down on my shoulder and I nearly fell over again. I turned to look into the eyes of a familiar face. "You're going to have to pay me back for those clothes you know" Aozaki Tohko frowned as she gazed past me and towards that man. "Well...that shouldn't be there" she spoke dumbly, staring at it in disbelief. Without words she took off her purple trench coat and placed it on my shoulders. Her glasses disappeared in an instant, a cold face falling in place easily. She stopped a few feet away, staring down at a red motorcycle. She grabbed her hair with one hand and balled the other into a fist. "Damn police officer, I was only gone ten minutes and I got a ticket for illegal parking, what the hell is wrong with this world!?"

I stared in disbelief, had she simply ignored that man or had she really just not noticed? I shook my head but it hurt my neck so I stopped. A sickening crunch echoed as Tohko's head hit the pavement. The man with the silver hand stood over her body, already his wounds were sealing, the smooth purple-black of scarred flesh knitting itself before my eyes. He walked towards me, his face a mask of death, judge and executioner. He stopped; I stared down at the headless body of the woman who had taken me in. She reached out with hands and picked up her severed head, there was a squelching sound like a dirty plunger as her head reattached. Slightly dirty hair was brushed aside, a frown deeply set in as she glared at the man. "Right, off with her head now, questions later, you have no tact, at least crush my head if you want to be done with me." The blade of light cut through the air, Tohko rolled and dodged it, standing up next to her red motorcycle again. She gripped it by the seat, light flaring briefly as the engine roared to life. Like a screaming beast it tore across the pavement and slammed into the man, knocking him backwards into a tree. Tohko had a crazed look on her face, but I wasn't looking at her. Defying gravity and remaining upright without a rider, the red motorcycle had turned silver-chrome, blue-white flames jutting out at odd angles and a crimson phoenix engraved where there windshield would have been.

"Claiomh Solias!" a wave of light dwarfs the sun for a moment as rock and earth are torn asunder and the sickening screech of twisting metal reaches my ears. Tohko cursed, rolling up her sleeves.

"Aule net Gabranth" out of the blinding light a scream of pure delight, fires raged, golden red wings sprouting out of nothing. Without thought it tore through the man with its golden flames, wings of light and sound rebounding through the burning air. As quickly as it had come it vanished, leaving nothing but scorched ground and a bloody carcass still holding on a golden blade. Barely three feet away from her face, and even I could smell the burnt flesh from here, from where she stood it must have been unbearable. "Who sent you?" Tohko asked the bloody mass of flesh.

"He who wishes to reach the end" the man responded, as green light spewed forth out of his chest and spiralled into the sky, taking him with it.

"You've got some explaining to do exhibitionist-girl" Tohko didn't look at me, instead staring at the fading green light as it slowly fell into the sky. I fell to my knees, unable to remain standing. My body ached, my heart ached, and adding insult to injury, there was a camera man rushing towards us. I stared down at the charred black stick.

"Can't you do something about that?"

"No dice sister" I mutter a curse at its response, even as the world grows hazy and I tip over for good. Somehow the pavement felt soft, with a mixture of shock and surprise I realize it's my blood that's making it this way.


	29. Chapter 28 Unspoken Things

**Chapter 28 unspoken things**

_Even so, it continues, the endless gears in motion, turning the great cogs of the machine of destiny. Endlessly endless, thousands of years, millions, billions, a day of reckoning, a day of rebirth, a day of silence, and a day of jubilance._

_But before that, there was but one, as with everything, there is always a beginning._

**Genesis//Root World**

_A long time ago I made a promise. Under a dark sky; upon a star that cast its light into the oblivion. We pledged with weeping hearts to meet again, at the doorsteps to eternity. It is a promise I will keep, no matter what it costs me. _

_We smiled, knowing the trials ahead would be hard. With ardent wills we turned our backs to each other, rushing into the chaos. That last fleeting glance, the last memory I hold before the darkness. _

_We made the right decisions, or ones we thought were the best. There is no turning back now; those words held tightly on my lips have yet to be spoken. So far away, yet so close, this mortal heart can't hold it in anymore. A fleeting thought before the end, and the unshed tear falls, and the future inscribed in stone is written anew by human hands._

_Perhaps when we meet again, I will be able to say those words to you. Until then, this promise I pledge to you, dead and undying I will walk all of eternity, in search of you... _

"Remember you are mortal, one day, you too shall die" the jewelled witch smiled, her azure eyes flashing fiercely, even as the world shook and rumbled around her. Even at the beginning it was flawed, it was imperfect from the start, how could it ever give birth to a true future?

"Maybe one day we will finally see the true end"

She smiled, "you need know the beginning to see the end" she turned away, "I can't help but believe this is not the way he wanted it to be"

That man looked thoughtful, "He?"

"...or maybe it was a she" her raven hair flickered in the fading light, her eyes dulling and turning grey. "Now go, our time is short, the answer lies out there, I know it..." she turned her back to him to hide her tears.

"We will meet again." There was no question in his words, the others had already left, somewhere out in the chaos lies a single flickering light.

"The end is not an end; it is but a new beginning...perhaps...a true beginning."

The light went out, there was nothing but chaos now, nothing but darkness and a broken flickering golden arch with a single figure standing there. She sighed, her long raven hair turned gray, her eyes turned milky white. She could no longer see, no longer hear, no longer touch, no longer taste. "Ah...the end" her last words, and then she turned to dust, and faded into nothingness.

Spark

The chain continues, endlessly endless, forever until the end, and then it begins again. A thousand upon thousand things, beautiful things, ugly things, they continue, until the end, until the beginning.

Spark

Angels sing, demons cry, shimmering tears fall, and a trumpet blows. The flowing red ribbons tie, to a fate unblessed, to a destiny unbound, to a future yet to be known.

Spark

Flicker and fade.

Spark

Memories within memories, this is not our destiny. To be bound in chains, to be locked in darkness, to build castles in the sky, to walk the moon alone.

Spark

Spark

Spark

Flicker and fade, there is nothing here to remember now, the dead speak not their minds. A dead golden arch beneath a tree of rust, that's all that's left now.

Silence

That which was first, comes last. That which began, will be concluded. That which lives, will surely die.

That which is dead, will live again.

The chain continues, it must continue, until that end is reached, until...until...until...

Silence

**Sakura's World**

Spark

Spark

The light burns, it hurts, I don't want to stare into this light, I don't want this pain, and I don't want any of this.

Spark

The beast roars, pounding in my ears, ripping out my jaw, tearing my throat.

Spark

Spark

The light flickers and does not fade, it just burns, pale and white. Fire, taking my heart and burning it into ash, taking my soul and setting alight with incandescence.

Flare

The other half has awoken, two sides of a coin, the light burns fully now.

Flare

One of light, one of darkness, intertwined by an undying flame, passed on by ages, flickering but not fading, flicker...flare.

Gunfire pierces the night air, jewelled brilliance lights up the sky as a soaring phoenix tears into metal and burns into ichors. The black knight, alight with flame stands unmoving, his twisted helm riddled with holes. Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Kiritsugu stand with smoking hands, the former who now held nothing, and the latter who held a smoking pistol.

"You bring home interesting friends" he muttered as a behemoth-like shadow blocked out the moon, as a monstrous roar drowned the world in noise. Atop the massive rippling muscled man perched like a canary; there was a snow-white haired girl; her flickering red eyes closed, and a smile on her devilish face. Her eyes flicked open and zeroed in on the gun-toting man. "Daddy, I brought back the groceries" she frowned as the hulking man opened his enormous hands and planted three bags on the ground, still wholly intact by some miracle. He looked like the hulk mixed with an American pro-wrestler gone grey-scale. His wild hair billowing in the wind, he gently lowered the girl down to the ground with one hand, cradling her like she was made of crystal.

I pay no heed to them, they are not the object I see in my mind, and they are nothing to me. Right now there is only one thing in front of me.

Flare

It burns this flesh and blood.

Flare

It tears my soul.

Flare

These words are not my own.

Flare

My prayers will not be answered.

Flare

...I am become...

Flare

Why do I continue, even though my reasoning is long lost? Why do I keep moving even though my body should have long ago failed me?

Flare

"_I don't give a damn about anything, I am me, that is all there is to it"_

Flare

A voice other than my own speaks from these lips.

Flare

Ah...so that is what I am...

Flare

Flare

Burn

The black knight falls beneath my fingers, I do not even know how I got there, and my hands are alight with darkness, an intangible black glow. I grip the cold metal of his chest and tear it apart, reaching in and feeling the cold flesh of his body and rending it asunder. Like a bird of prey I tear him apart, throwing flesh and organs behind me, bloody flying everywhere.

Burn

At the end, I stand along covered in blood, in front of that frozen unmoving husk. Still that black knight tries to move, raising its head even though its torso is ripped from its body. I crush that black helmet with my foot, it's an eyesore.

Burn

"Nadeshiko..."

Ah, that raven haired girl is speaking, who is she to me?

"_She is nothing to me"_

That voice answers again.

Burn

Laughter in the night, I am the one that is laughing.

Am I dreaming? I don't feel like myself. What is this thing that I want to be? I don't feel like I belong here in this world. Everything just feels...

Wrong.

Everything is wrong.

"_I am me, that is all there is to it"_

No you are wrong, I am not you, and you are not me.

"_I am me, you are you, do not confuse the two."_

Then get out of my head, this is not your domain.

"_Ha-ha, interesting girl, but you are mine, never forget that"_

I am not a possession.

"_Your mother once said the same thing..."_

Its fading, the light is fading.

Flicker

I can't see anymore, that voice is silent now. A voice in my head and now it is silence, only my voice is left in the darkness, and it sounds strangled and weak.

"Mom..."

That thing is laughing inside of me.

**Garden World**

The arch fades, I am at the beginning again. The beginning of another end, like so many before it, unique too itself, but still wholly the same in its conclusion.

This place is already falling apart, I can see the worlds faint light, just a candle's breathe away from extinction. In the north the black shadow rages, its avarice is never ending, its consumption appalling. Chaos, another world consumed by the imperfection that it was created by. Soon they will dwindle down to one, and there at that end…

"Ha, I don't even know anymore"

That answer might still be out there, but time is slowly ticking down to that final moment. I check the golden watch tied around my neck.

17:24:26:8

Seventeen months, twenty-four days, twenty-six minutes, eight seconds.

Just a year and a half left until my time runs out. This last gift, I don't want to squander it, already two of the seven have faded. We are just remnants of that time. It's only natural that we should cease to exist.

But I don't want to.

Not now in any case, there is still something I have left to do.

"Even if I don't know what it is anymore"

I watch as this faded world is swallowed up into darkness, until this golden arch is the only light left, and then bid my farewells like so many before it.

**Nyx World**

The black haired girl played with the golden watch in her hands. Like so many times before she had toyed with its clasp, felt the now warm metal with her delicate hands, carved words into its sides. And every time it refused to open for her, every time it turned cold to her touch, and every time those words faded back to its original smooth surface.

"Archer" she called softly. That man was never far away, he couldn't be, not with the leash she had placed around his neck. He just glared at her, he was just a dog in her eyes, no, even her dog was of a higher standing than him considering what her dog really was. "I once met a woman, a hundred years ago." The black haired girl started speaking, so the man-slave called Archer stayed silent. "She looked like someone I had once known, her hair was the same as it had been at that time." She paused, rolling that golden watch in her fingers. She paused again, and then threw it at him. "Try and open that."

He caught it in his hands; it too failed to open for him. He handed it back, silent, now was not the time to scream out at the shackles that imprisoned him, there was nothing he could do now, god help him, there was nothing he could do.

"That girl…even at the end she defies me, even after she is long gone…"

"Who, might I ask, are you talking about?" the Archer spoke. Crimson eyes flicked over his face, a pale pink tongue shown behind barred fangs.

"My sister" the black haired girl sighed. "But that was a long time ago…" she turned and sank into the pillows of the bed she lay upon. "Now go, leave me alone, do whatever you want, I don't care anymore."

"As you wish" his steeled words held no less bite than they had before, but even to him, he sounded soft. As he shut the door, he whispered good-bye, and cursed his very nature to the core. In the end, he is beyond saving, when it comes to trying to save someone else.

"In the end, I hold nothing" he muttered something he had long ago spoken, those words had not been said in a long time, and even now, he refused to speak them. "In the end, this is nothing but an empty prayer…"


	30. Chapter 29 Nadeshiko

**Chapter 29 Nadeshiko**

**Inner World**

I can't keep doing this. I am staring at myself, at this mirror, and I am disgusted by what I see. Needy and hopelessly broken, unable to take care of herself, just a piece of driftwood in a river.

"_Maybe you should just die"_

I don't want to die, the thought of death scares me, and yet at the same time, the thought of continuing this life is an even worse outcome.

"_Then just die"_

You keep telling me I should die, but then you would cease to exist as well. Why are you so willing to give up on yourself?

"_Stupid girl, life is pain, you wish to see the end of your pain; then end your life. This existence means nothing to me; I simply am, nothing more, nothing less."_

Life is not just pain, I was happy, I…I was loved.

"By whom might I ask?"

My mother, she loved me, with all her heart, even until the end she did, I loved her too.

"But she died"

"_Death is inevitable; such is life as it is"_

My father too, I am sure he loved me, even though I have never known him.

"Yes"

"_That man who abandoned you?"_

He did not abandon me! He didn't he…he couldn't have, that man, he simply couldn't have.

"_How can you be so sure, when you are not even sure of yourself?"_

Because of love, it's the only thing I know, it's the only thing I can kept a hold on anymore. I can feel hot tears running down my face now; the mirror's reflection of me is blurry and distorted. The girl in the mirror speaks.

"**I once gave you power, out of trust, now, out of love, I will take it away."**

Out of the mirror she steps, clad in white, her hair, also a radiant snowy white, and those eyes, a dark murky grey, like storm clouds.

"**Maybe it was wrong of me to entrust this to you, I'm sorry…"**

"_I do not wish this"_

"I as well"

"**It is not for you to decide, it is my fault…I…"**

I look away, facing out into the darkness. In the nothingness there is only that faint radiant light from behind me.

"**I'm sorry…"**

Isn't it sad? Parting, separation, death, it hurts, I don't like it, I don't want it. To say goodbye, to know in my heart that those are the last words I will ever speak to that person. To say I love you, in a way, that hurts even more. I'm sorry, words of regret; I don't want to regret this life, not now, not after everything I have done. Mistakes I have made, choices I have made, promises…I have made.

I don't want this.

"**What is it you do want?"**

She is staring at me, those grey eyes, like the clouds they remind me of, they flicker like lightning.

I don't know…want I want, I...I'm pitiful aren't I?

"No…"

I can't decide even though I want her back so much, so much so that I would give myself up just for her.

"**Are you sure?"**

In the field of blackness a single figure flared into existence, even from here I recognized her, and it hurt me so much to see her there. Mom why are you here, how are you here?

"**If you so wish it…"**

Beside her he stands, that man, I know who he. My father, my real father, and the one I have chased after for the better part of my life. The one who I have always wanted to know; the one who I have always wanted to meet, and here they are waiting for me…waiting.

I turn and face the girl and the mirror, I can feel myself crying, but these are not tears of sadness.

"**Go to them, you need no longer burden yourself…"**

No, I cannot. In the darkness I can feel them fade. I put on a brave face, even though it hurts. They will have to wait a little longer, there are still things left to do, while I still have the power to do them.

"**Why do you wish to burden yourself with this?"**

I am the only one who can do this aren't I? The girl was silent; behind her the mirror was cracked and broken.

"**You will end up hurting yourself again…"**

I wipe the tears away from my eyes. Yeah, it will probably hurt; yeah I will probably hate this choice that I have made. But it is my choice to make, and at the end of it, they will be there waiting for me, there will be no more final judgment, I am my own judge.

"…**even if you end up dying?"**

Then so be it; I will not run away any longer.

"_Now you saying something I can understand"_

That dark voice mutters nonchalantly in my ear. Even as everything fades into nothingness, I am confronted by one last thing.

A man standing before me, he looks down at me; not out of superiority, simply out of our height difference. His stern grey eyes, ocean grey and warm. Emiya Shirou, that name, it is tied to my fate.

"I will look for you, in time, in space, until we meet; I give you this, so you too can understand what has been done, and what needs to be done."

In my hands he places a golden watch.

"Time is all we have left now; us remnants of that time…if we should go back, then you may well cease to exist."

I am not here to be coddled. I muttered something dark and made a childish face. That man smiled softly.

"I guess not" he looked away, in the darkness now there where stars, billions of them, flickering in the sky. "It's beautiful isn't it?"

I smiled, I am not the main character in this mans story; I am not the person he is searching for.

"Yeah, it's beautiful"

**Sakura's World**

The sky is so beautiful. But raven hair clouds my vision; before I can react I am being cradled in warm arms. I close my eyes and just stay like this for a while; I can hear her frantic muttering.

"I'm alright" I say it softly, even though I don't feel alright, everything just hurts, my hands in particular.

"No, no you are not alright, you are very all wrong" Rin was saying something; she wasn't making any sense though. "I'm not ever letting go of you again." I smiled, Aunt Rin looked like a wreck, and I was looking at a different woman than I remembered.

"I saw Mom and Dad" I heard her sharp intake of breathe but I just kept talking. "Mom looked good; she still hadn't taken that ribbon out of her hair. Dad, dad's hair was a mess…" Rin laughed quietly. "They looked happy."

"They were" Rin was crying now "it's not fair…"

"It's alright, everything is alright" I'm not sure who I am saying it to, her, or myself. Something heavy hits me in the stomach, I touch it gingerly, and it was still warm. That golden watch from what seemed like a dream shimmered softly. I flipped it open; ticking softly was an old face of a clock, a counter at the top read like a digital clock.

17:23:256:17

Etched in the golden lid were the number seven and the words "until the appointed time."

People were crowding around me; I could see that old man's face, that young girls innocent face, the towering berserkers steely complexion, and a cowering girl behind him.

"I'm home…"

That tearful woman's face comes into full view. "You owe me…" with a pang of guilt I remember melting a certain jewel what seems like an age ago.

"…how much…?" I am fearful of the answer.

"A lot" deadpan, ah, it was a lot. She gripes me by the shoulders "A LOT" ah she is angry at me, the atmosphere has changed to one of animosity.

It's been two years. Life changes slowly, I was gone longer here than I was there so I have missed a lot of school. That girl, that other traveler has decided to stay with us, Aunt Rin has vowed to return her to her own world, but it has been a rather fruitless effort. Just a month before, Granddad passed away in his sleep, Illya has been crying ever since. Even that hulking behemoth seems depressed, though it's often hard to tell what kind of emotion it's giving off considering its face is more like a stone statue than anything else.

Its spring, the sakura are falling again. That girl, Satsuki stands next to me, on this quiet road we walk to school. "What was your world like?" I have long been interested in the place she came from. She paused, lost in thought as she often was, there was something wrong with her, but Rin refused to speak of it, instead they would simply disappear for a couple days each month and return without a word.

"It was much like here, maybe just a little crueler" she laughed a little, but she did not smile. It was a burdened silence, one I am not unused to. Ever since returning, I find myself become restless with life. And at times, I find myself holding that golden watch, watching the time tick down to its eventual end. What am I waiting for…?

"Life's and adventure right?" a girl was a bright yellow ribbon in her hair is speaking to a silent bookish girl and a silent bored looking boy.

"An adventure…" I smile and take Satsuki's hand in mine. "Let's go!" she put up small resistance and was dragged along.

"But to where?" she cried as I took off in a totally different direction from the one we had been headed.

"Anywhere" I said breathlessly, I don't mind waiting for things, I don't mind waiting an eternity. But today, I want to meet fate halfway, I want to see things I wouldn't normally see, do things I wouldn't normally do…get in shit with Aunt Rin later. I paused in thought and then shrugged. I glanced over my shoulder at that girl who was struggling to keep up with my pace "have you ever been to an amusement park?"

"Eeeeeh?" her startled voice made me smile.

_Hey, you can wait a little longer can't you? I mean, I am not going anywhere, there is still time. Time to waste, time to spend here…I…I want to be here, right here, right now; I want to spend my days in this place. Even though I have no idea where I am headed, even though the future is so very uncertain, even though the universe is breaking apart it seems. I'm sure you understand…right Mom, Dad? Just a little longer, you will just have to wait a little longer…_


	31. Chapter 30 Pale King

**Chapter 30 Pale King**

**Anomaly Root**

When she was born, a cry was uttered, such that I did not believe my ears, so sweet that sound. I was crying, holding that newborn life as she gazed into my eyes, the shock of that first breath still captivating her as she reached out and touched my face.

"We did it, it's a girl"

My voice sounds shaky; no doubt, it is a miracle that this even occurred, a child. A perfect, beautiful baby girl, after all this pain and suffering, after all the hardships and challenges, overcome by a single beautiful moment as I hold this life in my hands.

"Welcome to the world Nadeshiko"

And then everything went black.

In my hands I hold nothing, my fingertips burnt black, my palms are callous as hard, my knuckles cracked and broken. These hands were never meant to hold anything were they? These prayers, were never meant to be answered?

This child, will never be born they said.

This child, does not exist, cannot exist.

I who have asked for nothing, not since that time, not since that place, I only wanted to save her, that girl. And then I threw everything away, and it wasn't enough. So I gave her my soul, and still that was not enough, so I gave her my body, and still that was not enough, so I gave her mind…

The world is…it's…

She is laying there, on the ground now, her soft hair cushioning her head, those beautiful eyes closed now. The other girl, she is crying now on the floor, I am so far gone I don't even recognize her anymore, just that girl laying on the ground, she is important to me somehow.

I feel myself fall to the ground, my legs refusing to support my weight any longer. I crawl to her side; instinctively she reaches out and holds my hand. I stare at the wound in her chest blankly, I…

"I love you"

She says those words and dies. There were no lies, just love, she says those words and just lets her self fall, and I remember for a moment, taking that blade and ending it. I remember doing what her sister could not, I remember…

"I failed didn't I…?"

Everything is rumbling around me, at the bare limits of my consciousness I see it, the figure of a girl trying so desperately to call out for help, but being unable to. I see her falter and stumble, her hand reaching out, so close, almost close enough to touch but falling to her side. And then it is cut to black, this moment in time is like a cacophony.

If I had just one wish, it would be...

It is with fear that we find hope, and with hope we draw strength, to marshal what love resides in our hearts so that we might carve out a better future.

**Land of Steel**

In this world at the end of all things, there is still hope. Even though it shouldn't be, even though it cannot be, still they linger on.

I see them, I feel them, but this world at the end of humanity, and I reject it.

This world I reject.

**Wish**

Again, this hope, for an unattainable dream, such dread that this future exists only in ones mind is it not? Yet, still, why do you dream if you know you cannot achieve what you truly wish.

Why do you not stand and fight for that future?

This world, I too, reject.

**Fate**

She will die, like all the times before and after. Is this truly how it is supposed to be? Is this truly what fate has decided for us, to wither and be still, to just lie down and take what cards have been dealt? Are we not meant for more than this?

I reject.

**Unlimited Blade Works**

For love, for life, I would do anything for her, because…I love her don't I? What better reason is there out there, what reason more do I need? No explanation is needed; love is a simple enough answer. I failed her when she needed me most, and for that I…

I reject.

**Hollow Ataraxia**

Even if I have to traverse worlds beyond the scope of my imagination, even if I have to do things beyond the possibilities of the boundaries they are constrained by. What is impossible will be possible…

I reject.

**Tsukihime**

I don't pretend to believe this is right, but what my heart says is clear enough to me. I don't need to be told, I don't need anyone anymore, just her. And now that she is gone, I know that I simply cannot exist without her.

I reject.

**Daylight Blue**

I will throw away everything, even this existence as it stands, I don't care what I become, I don't care what I have to do, for that moment to exist I will cast aside every shred of my being until there is nothing left.

I reject.

**Distant Reed Warbler**

She is fixed in my mind, a single point, burned into the deep recesses of my mind. A moment within a moment, a moment of joy, that is what I wish for. A moment of unbridled joy, a future of light…

I reject.

**Dreams of Sunshine**

What little I have left, what little dregs of my existence still remain, I hope that this moment in time I have attained will be enough. Even if the tired shell of my life is all that is left, at that kind of end, I don't mind it.

I reject.

**Lunar Eclipse**

Even if I cannot even see the future I will create, even if I cannot even be a part of it. I will with my own two hands fulfill this promise.

I reject.

**Heaven's Feel**

This was never meant to end this way, I'm sorry, and I love you.

I reject this existence, I reject this world and it's ending.

If I had just one wish, she would live, and with that child...

At the doorsteps to eternity we stand, hand in hand, I smile but hold back those words, I know what must be done, and I know what is still left to do.

When we meet again, I will say those words, and we will walk hand in hand with our daughter to a brilliant future…

There will be no lies; there will be just love, only love. That is all that is left of me now, for better or for worse.

That is my Wish.

That is…

_It's my promise to her._

**Genesis/Root World**

**Time-space Anomaly "Ground Zero"**

"What the hell is going on here!" those words echoed as sirens blared; in the center a massive void began to slowly bend and warp the surroundings. Already in the center there was nothing but blackness.

People were screaming, even as the void expanded and they were swallowed up in it, a giant screaming maw of never ending nothingness.

And at the forefront of the darkness a man walked alone, Pale white and terrible was his wake. Swallowed up in grief in madness, there was nothing there anymore, just a shell of a man with a single purpose.

"_I reject"_

In the spring, when the flowers just began to bloom, a child was born, a baby girl that was not supposed to live, not supposed to exist. And that child was loved, truly and deeply.

But that child was bound by the curse of her fate.

That child was never meant to exist.


	32. Chapter 31 Convergances I

**Chapter 31 Convergences, Part I**

_What is purpose? Do things simply exist, or were they placed there by some ancient design? Is every step I take preordained, what is freedom of choice but a path leading to the same ending?_

_What reason is there to anything at all?_

_Tell me who I am!_

_Are we just born to be wasted?_

**Prime World**

I want to explain, but I don't know how. This life I have led seems to be, for me, so misleading. I was not born, not really, I was created. A child in another person's image, and wholly imperfect, a broken function sustained by the chaos of my inception.

How do I say, that I was only born because of these events that have transpired? That everything I have strived for since fleeing that place has been spiraling down to a single truth...

If this succeeds, if I find her, I will probably cease to exist? My individual self, my identity, my name, all these things are just a borrowed reality.

Whatever words might have been were cut short by a chorus of screaming voices. The ground shook and roared; up in the sky they could see it, the crimson sky of a distant place.

"The worlds are starting to converge" I screamed as an impossible mass broke through the clouds. Truly massive, thousands of meters long; the black cross was flying in the sky. The ultimate one, the Aristoeles, this was Type-Saturn.

This is the beginning of the end.

**Kohaku's World**

The axe falls on empty space, a flurry of wasted movements and it is raised high above his head again.

Richard Brandon, the hangman, king slayer, Young Gregory, the Gregory Tree, many names tied this man to his fate. For someone who ends lives, this chase, it seems to him is a chore.

Death was never his wish, but in the end he grants it unto others.

_In a secluded room, deep in the night, the two die, forgotten_

Time ever shifts, wavering in between all things, ever constant, never consistent. The axe falls...

**Satsuki's World**

_Our hands gently meet the moon shines on our promise ring_

It strikes the boy not yet born again; his face is crushed by the weight of the edge. There is silence, and then outrage. The woman is already gone, the madness has taken her, and those once calm curiously naive eyes have turned black and gold.

They say that none can stand before a woman scorned, what then, of a woman who has lost love?

The battered corpse of the man is still; whatever dark hope might have brought life back to him is wasted now. There is nothing but a calm placidness to his body now.

_No one can hear the words of repent_

Time breaks, shatters like glass. Everything is sparkling lights and color.

**Nyx World**

He was there a moment ago, that young man with broken eyes, but now he was fading out of existence like a transient wave. Whatever comes before, affects what will follow, that is a truth isn't it?

_Eternal love is what I chose_

**Kohaku's World**

_I was a woman who yielded nothing, and smiled at dead leaves_

Again it returns.

The axe falls on empty space, a flurry of wasted movements and it is raised high above his head again.

He will continue this movement, again and again until it is over. There is no mind left, there is just a single willed purpose fueling his movements. Richard Brandon, in truth, can hardly be called a man anymore, just a tool.

_Shadows of insects, and fluttering gasps_

Time breaks, cascading outwards as if struck by an otherworldly impact.

**Prime World**

_Gently our hands separate, leaving the promise ring you offered me_

Through a gap in the clouds he falls, like a radiant star, pitting whatever mettle might be against the warring state of reality.

The two beings crash into each other, the man and the cross, the impact can be heard for miles.

_As if stroking a wilted rose_

And then it screeched, an inhuman sound and a thousand brilliant lights littered the sky for a fraction of a second before they exploded across the atmos.

That man is raising something above his head, massive, there are not words left to describe, all those that still witness are unable to relate. There is just this simple emotion, this single understanding shared. This will cut.

_A requiem sung by tragic love_

But nothing always happens according to plan, there are no set pieces to this game, this is not fate.

**Kohaku's World**

_Let my fingers cross your cheek in a tacit kiss_

I am floating in sweet serenity; blink and I might miss it, this moment in between moments. On broken wings I am falling, sailing through this clear blue sky, the ground around me is cracked and broken.

I can see the black cross, split in two, seemingly swimming in the image of the moon. The man with the axe is gone, everything is gone.

_Sweet, dream-like silence_

I want to hold onto this moment for a little longer, I reach out and grab your hand, you grip mine unflinchingly. There is no need for words; I don't think either of us could hear each other anymore. In this moment there is just love. Wordlessly we pull each other close, faint with the knowledge that this is the end.

_Only my unwished for self is left_

And then the world around us is torn asunder.

**Satsuki's World**

_The two are visited by a nightmare_

In her mind, this is the one thing that she feared most. Not the loss of control, not the lust for blood...the pain of loss. Being unable to properly grieve, not being able to comprehend that everything that once was is no more.

_I never dreamed that I would love somebody; I never dreamed that I would lose somebody like you, this love..._

There is nothing but absolute abandonment here. Of reality, of hopes, of dreams, of love, there is a just a shell now.

The streets are torn by her anguish, that woman that had been so close was ripped apart by sadness, the world itself rumbled with empathy.

And then everything was lost, it all faded away like the closing of an act. The curtain is down, the stage is over, and the battle is lost.

_A conclave in the night that remains eternal_

Just a screaming mistress of the night is left, while everything around her crumbles into ruin.

**Future World**

The steps are bare now, the path that led to that place, and one could almost trace it and reach the epicenter. But nobody, but one who witnessed the event firsthand, would be able to comprehend the extent of the damage.

Four figures stand in the smouldering ruins, a trio in the center, and one off to the side. Silent surveyors of what has come to pass.

The words of a girl still linger on the wind "Forgive me, and be happy."

Even as the world around then returns to zero, and all fades to white. In that last moment there is an understanding shared, a thought that was unique to them.

"Why are you apologizing?"

**Sakura's World**

The moon looks beautiful tonight; that is what I thought. The calm surface of the water rippled as a dipped my toes into its clear depths. It wasn't cold but I shivered a little, whatever summer storm might have been had died with the morning wind. The sky was clear, nothing but a blanket of stars now without those clouds to block the view.

A chime like the bells of some far off cathedral sounds, the harbinger to his arrival; calling out to my soul. On the tranquil waters he walks, his footsteps don't break the surface, like he is walking on perfect glass.

I have seen this man a thousand times in my dreams now, and a thousand times without. And again like all those other times he raises an outstretched hand as if calling me home.

And again I reject him.

I want to say words to him, but he doesn't understand, he can't understand. He doesn't look hurt, he doesn't feel pain anymore, and the man in front of me doesn't feel anything anymore.

"Father I can't go with you, don't you understand?"

I say despite myself, and he just smiles sadly as he fades away, back to his misguided intentions. He will keep returning, I know that, but I want to stay here for just a little while longer.

I know I am being selfish, I know that this place can't remain. I can feel everything stretching apart around me; I can see the coming storm just on the edge of the horizon. And even now the clock is still turning, until again it reaches the end that appointed time.

2:03:156:19

Time goes by so slowly, I don't want to hesitate, but again I am here at this moment unable to comprehend my own actions. Unable to choose for myself, my own future, I want to believe that I can still be the person I want to be, that I can still be my honest self forever.

But time won't wait for me.

Against the edge of nothingness I wander, again and again we will meet, father and daughter. Still I reject him, still I reject the notion of that reality, and all the while that storm brewing on the horizon grows ever closer.

I could break, break it all, breakdown and cry until I can't cry anymore. I could fight, fight the world, just me again the world, but what would that accomplish?

I could die, just end it all, just block it all out and fade, but that would be a waste wouldn't it?

I could live, just live, and see this thing to the end…

But then, again I am at this stage, unable to say the words I am meant to say, unable to play the part I am meant to play.

It feels like hell, all alone inside of my head. It feels like forever, but forever feels like home, here all alone.

00:00:000:59

"…_Don't you understand? No one wishes to go on…_"

00:00:000:01

What are we living for?

Convergence; all will become one.

00:00:000:00

All alone inside of my head, everything goes white.

**Last World**

A dream, a wish, a prayer, falls unto heaven. I feel like I am falling, I remember falling, but there is no ground to fall to.

Whatever is left is here, but there is nothing left now is there?

Through the cracks in the sky I am falling, all around me I can see people, flashes and color, falling around me like the fracture pieces of glass. I reach out, trying to touch someone. Trying to understand why I feel so alone.

But it feels like forever is just nothing after all.

"What am I supposed to do?"

**Sakura's World**

**A moment, far away from here**

**Memory**

"I'm so scared sometimes" the violet-haired girl is talking to a framed picture, like the person behind the glass might speak back to her sweet nothings that would make everything alright.

"That child, her heart is closed off to the world" the girl continues speaking, pleading almost to be heard by that now long-gone person.

"It scares me how much I need you right now" she stops now, as if she had been holding back those words for some time.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore" she hadn't reached an answer still, but those words lingered in the air as tears streamed down her face.

"I just want her to be happy" a heartfelt wish; that was her answer in the end.

**Prime World**

The room rattled and settled, I thought the worst was over and then the shaking returned even stronger.

"Arthur!" I yell, but the knight is already at the door, flinging it wide open. Outside on the horizon I can see the broken sky and the plume of smoke. Was it a bomb? Did a bomb go off?

A scream parts the sky.

_I'll be born again, shrouded in the blazing night sky._

A bloody red moon shines clearly above the black cross and with reckless abandon the princess of the true ancestor flies. Her hair was like lightning in the wind, her body swimming in a sea of darkness and despair beneath the moon.

_You can take my flames thrice; I'll burn my image into your eyes._

A snap-hiss as the air around her explodes, fire burns all across her body, woven like a tender embrace from a long lost love. In from this distance I can see her burning radiance.

_My locked away heartbeat trembles_

I can see that figure falling through the sky like a small blazing star. Through the broken cross, past the falling pieces and low lying clouds.

_I'll tear apart the despair entangled in my hands._

Nothing but rage and muscle, it would take a lot more than words to convey the feelings locked deep in her chest. Her golden-black eyes were blazing out of despair and with such an incomprehensible anger towards this existence before her. A man stands before her in the darkness.

_Take my flame, in raging conflagration I'll melt everything down_

With a single hand she tears off his head and throws it away, the knight falls to the ground without a sound and turns to dust. Still her restless heart won't stop its fevering beating, nothing will stop, and it just won't end.

_And with these recurring memories, I'll revive the miracle that ties us together_

Already there is another, his violent red hair whipping around his face as he jumps from building to building. The princess is indiscriminate; everything is a target before her now.

_You'll fall down again, ringing through toward the ground,_

He doesn't scream as his neck is broken, he barely responds as his heart is torn from his chest and cast aside. Stained crimson in the moonlight he just looks down at her face silently through that mask on his face. And then the illusion breaks with a smile.

_So break my heart, break my destiny, and burn my body._

The cloak tears apart as he burns threw its center and tears into her abdomen. The weapon that is in his hands inflicts wounds she cannot heal, but she has no fear of it.

_The frozen flame quietly flickers_

A look of surprise flashes across his face as he watches his arm fly through the sky, that mask he had worn ripped from his face. Severed at the elbow the stump doesn't even bleed having been cauterized by the blow.

_My heart, tangled all up inside, leads me to the sky._

No words, only death. No answers, just a lingering regret. His head falls to the ground. He doesn't feel anything, doesn't see, and doesn't hear. Everything around him is terribly silent. But inside his head he can hear a faint voice speaking, a happy prayer to move the hearts of many.

And then everything was quiet again.

_Take my flame, I send my burning thoughts to you,_

The servant's body falls to pieces in the waning light, disintegrating as it smashes into the ground bellow.

_The miracle that ties each day to tomorrow_

Blades of light lance through the air and strike air, the princess is already moving towards her next target.

_Now I'll flap my black wings towards that light, so I can tell you…_

The arcing lights cut through the distance, intent on piercing her body. She doesn't even feel the impact of the glancing blows, there is nothing on her mind to distract her from the kill.

_Take my flame, in raging conflagration I'll melt everything down,_

Chains erupt from ground to seal her, but they will not keep her. It would take more than chains to hold her now. And these chains were meant for a god, they have no meaning to her.

_And with these recurring memories, I'll revive the miracle that ties us together._

Whether it is pride or courage, the man in golden armor does not retreat, even as she cuts a path towards him.

_Take my flame, I send my burning thoughts to you, _

A strangely calm look crossed that man's face as she drew near, perhaps he understood in that moment. Strangely contrary to his character he just closed his eyes and sighed like a father succumbing to wishes of a precocious child and was torn apart.

_The miracle that ties each day to tomorrow_

And then she screamed; an echoing sound of grief and sorrow directed at the sky. The unbound moon answered her calling voice, falling from its place in the sky with a slow descent. And the last spark of her mind left her, and whatever thoughts she might have had of him went with it.

**Last World**

_I can see everything, from this place I can see them all struggle. Why are they fighting? What else is there left to do…_

_Do I just watch them fall…?_


	33. Chapter 32 Convergances II

**Chapter 32 Convergences, Part II**

**Prime World**

I call out his name, but he just looks back at me with a sad smile. I don't like this, don't leave me like this!

He is already far away by the time I am at my feet, his steeled gaze fixed on that distant flickering light. Do I just wait here watching him leave?

That sad smile, I know what it means; I have seen that face before. There is no intention of returning, this will be the last time we see each other.

There is a pain in my chest, I don't like this feeling. I don't want this to be the night that we part forever. This time has been too short.

"Arthur!" I call out his name, but he has already gone.

_When leaves have fallen and skies turned to gray_

I kick off from the floor, my body doesn't want to listen but I pump my legs as fast as I can. A bicycle lies abandoned on the side of the road, it was rusted and old but still in one piece. A stroke of pure luck, I drive the pedals home, the rusted gears make a horrific sound as they turn in time with my movements; but I don't care.

_The night keeps on closing in on the day_

I can't even see him anymore; he can run so much faster than I can. Even on this bicycle I feel like the distance between us is a never-ending canyon. My breathing is as heavy as my heart, but still I don't want to just give up…

_A nightingale sings his song of farewell_

"Gae Bolg!"

The spear pierces her heart, six times before this scene had been repeated, and still that woman would not fall. The Lancer couldn't retreat, his master behind him, and those others still.

But this was a losing battle; that much he had ascertained. So all that he had left now was to buy enough time for their escape, a death he didn't much care for. But as far as deaths go; it wasn't a terrible one.

The princess of the true ancestors lets out another ear-splitting shriek; the spear piercing her heart shatters like it was made out of glass. The Lancer readies his spear, ready for the eventual end. It is only a matter of time; those were his thoughts, even as he felt the presence of another.

But that man wasted no time.

"EXCA-"

**Interlude – A brief moment**

_What is it that we are waiting for? Instilled in our beating chests are a thousand violent words screaming out a chorus of cacophony. Here we stand at the crossroads, unable to take that first step forward towards a brilliant future._

_Is it darkness that lies before us? Will we stumble and fall and never truly stand?_

_Are we simply waiting for a god…that has arrived too late?_

**Prime World**

_You better hide for her freezing hell_

"…-LIBUR"

Forever; if it was a moment would it really exist? A time trapped in its stillness, broken off and separate, a lonely existence cutoff from the rest of the world.

But time moves forwards.

The light died down as quickly as it had erupted from that golden sword. And even the promise of victory had faltered.

_On cold wings she's coming you better keep moving_

For the things they wish to protect, neither knight can back down now, even against impossible odds. Even in his heart, the White Knight wished that this moment could last forever, so that the coming darkness would be held at bay just a fraction longer.

_For warmth you'll be longing, nightingale_

And again her scream echoes in the night.

_Come on just feel it don't you see it?_

The rooftop was battered and broken, stone tiles chipped and ripped from their seating by impossible forces. Still, the tower stood, broken and mangled like a defiant fist pointed towards the sky.

"Archer" the raven-haired girl barked her orders, beside her the auburn haired man was clutching his bleeding right arm. It was bandaged from wrist to shoulder, and in the center of his forearm, a bright red circle was bleeding through.

"Tohsaka" he spoke, yelling almost against the sound of the wind. But she wasn't listening, her eyes trained on the battle below her. To her eyes, there was only this.

"Saber!" her words fell on empty space, that girl had already started running. The auburn haired man watched her go, her foot reaching the edge and then kicking off before she plummeted to the earth. For a moment their eyes connected, her lips moved as if she was going to speak, but instead she just let herself fall.

In his heart he knew this could be the end, but he had bet his life on this. He had bet his existence on this lie. So just he let her go.

We can survive.

_You better believe it_

**Snake World**

_When she embraces your heart turns to stone_

"Forgive me god, these sins are too hard to bear…" she spoke softly in the ruined church, body badly beaten, the heart that was still beating in her chest exposed to the world through a torn chest.

"…but I cannot die tonight"

This is just an overflowing dream world. Escaping from reality into this place, why are we afraid of the night?

_She comes at night when you're all alone_

A snap crackles from the air, lighting piercing the night like bolt across a backlit sky. A thousand times they could repeat this dance, but in the end it was always the same result.

In this place, I will meet my end after all, that was her thought.

Beyond time and space, to repeat this encounter over and over again, perhaps that was his wish? But he had long forgotten, just a lonely emotion, like the dregs leftover in a pot of tea.

Even still, the tattered remains of his soul rumbled in that girl's chest as she screamed, and then she was silenced.

_And when she whispers your blood shall run cold_

My name, the girl did not even remember her name. Even so, in the moonlight she thought the woman who had killed her was beautiful.

But that girl would not die tonight.

_You better hide before she finds you_

A thousand glimmering lights reflected in a single droplet as the rain spills across the floor. The path that was taken was one of tragedy, in the end this is the only way this night could have ended.

This night ended with death.

"…is this a tragedy for you too?"

That woman's affixed gaze seemed distant now. Cradling that woman's head in her arms, those golden eyes closed shut now forever. Here in this moment, madness was abandoned and lost, there is nothing here but an empty willingness to kill.

This was not the way it was supposed to happen.

_Whenever she is raging she takes all life away_

The soul rustles slightly in her chest, agitated almost, but without thoughts. The sound of her rumbling stomach stops all thoughts. Whatever was left of her life told her to continue her labored movements, until she was far away from that place where the princess lay dead.

_Haven't you seen?_

She could start killing, to sate this hunger inside. But it was not thirst for sustenance that drove her to this path; it was some sort of regret.

_Haven't you seen?_

There is no destination on this road I walk, that was her last thought before her mind closed off from the world.

_The ruins of our world_

"What have I done…?"

And in time that girl walked, until the world around her changed, and whatever life might have been, was born inside a gilded cross cage.

**Broken World**

Echoes of a soul, like mould staining the purest of glass, whatever existence might linger in this broken shell is nothing but a disease. That is the extent of my life, just a parasite living off of a discarded husk.

So then why did I try to save this girl?

It has been so long since I have thought, truly about anything. I wipe a lock of hair away from my face; it has been a long time since I have seen another living thing, I feel almost self-conscious.

And yet I still feel nothing.

Whatever might still linger in my heart stirs a little as I wait for her to open her eyes; she has such bright eyes…

A part of me wants to crush her skull and rip them out of her head, but I hesitate, my hands feel so unsteady.

What is wrong with me? Why now of all times do I question this lonely path that I have walked for so long? Why now after so long, do I feel so very close to human?

I occupy my hands with a wooden block and start carving. Why am I still here waiting?

_Whenever she is raging she takes all life away_

It is like I am holding my breath, waiting for something that I don't even know. This heartbeat has been still for decades but it feels like something might burst from my chest.

I don't understand.

_Haven't you seen?_

That girl's eyes open, she doesn't even register me. My hands stop, everything feels so perfectly still right now.

_Haven't you seen?_

"Rain rain, go away?"

Those soft words, the rains had stopped a little while ago, but a part of me wanted to believe that an innocent wish could affect the weather.

"Who are you?"

My heart shakes, rumbling in my chest.

She asked my name?

_The ruins of our world_

The images spiral into my thoughts as if this being inside of me was dreaming while awake.

Emotional attachment,

Segmented realities,

A broken promise,

A forgotten dream,

And whatever thoughts might still continue

Inside my head blanked out in a moment.

A single thought rises above all others.

I know you.

There was nothing but silence now. Just a lingering question left on the still air. How do I answer? My throat feels dry; I haven't spoken in such a long time.

I know…my name; that's right…

_She covers the earth with a breath taking cloak_

**Prime World**

I am still moving forwards. Even if I am stumbling and falling all over myself, if I can pick myself up off the ground then I can just keep running towards that ever distant horizon. I don't even care where this sky leads me anymore; I just want to keep running a little longer.

My feet strike the ground hard; I feel it in my bones as my eyes adjust to the light. Something here isn't right. And then I feel it, not my body, my very soul screams out at the contact.

_The sun awakes and melts it away_

It is her, she is here.

I don't even question it; my body is already running towards her. My mind can't keep up with this reality, even as I rush to meet her again.

_The world now opens its eyes and sees_

Before my eyes I can see her golden hair reflected in the dying light around her, tattered clothes and glittering wild eyes. This is not the beautiful woman I remember, this is a dark reflection of what she had once been.

Her wild eyes fall on my face, but there is no flicker of recognition, there is just unbridled hate there.

_The dawning of a new day_

This long night that my soul had been aching for since the day it ended. Is this what I wished for? This second dance under the moonlight, is this the reason I have waited so long for?

_On cold wings she's coming you better keep moving_

So be it, I will burn out my existence until I am exhausted. Maybe then I will finally be satisfied with this ending…

_For warmth you'll be longing, nightingale_

From out of the corner of his vision she came rocketing out, like a bolt from the bluest of skies. To the White Knight who had faltered, it seemed like her radiant back was screaming out "I exist".

The two existences in front of him collided in a shower of sparks, blackened-white and startling blue, like they had always been together from the very start. Whatever pride he held in his chest would not let him retreat.

Not when that radiant person was screaming out such a heartfelt wish with her very existence.

_Come on just feel it don't you see it?_

A light pierces that bright heart, she falters for a second before regaining her footing. It looked like she might fall for a moment, but the hole in her chest sealed itself like the fluttering closed petals of a not yet bloomed flower.

_You better believe it_

So why does it feel like this bright light was burning twice as bright now? Is it not true then that the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long? What then do you say to the colliding lights that ignite with such passion as the very air trembles?

_Whenever she is raging she takes life away_

The White Knight had to wonder, why his heart shutters at the sight of this collision of rage and sadness. But he locked those feelings away and held his sword tight.

_Haven't you seen?_

From atop the roof the raven-haired girl watched like a hawk. Her breathing was shallow and ragged now, like she had been running for a very long time. But her body had not moved an inch since she had arrived.

Her mind was racing; this plan was an impossible one. Such that she could not even believe her naïve heart for believing in it. Behind her she could feel him through their shared bond, the steel-eyed archer held aloft a blade of light.

Rippling with the light of reflected jewels hidden within its depths, its size was incomparable with anything that had been conceived before. As long as the man was tall, and as wide as the scorched black arm that held it.

_Haven't you seen?_

He had been waiting for that girls order, storing whatever power he might glean into that solid form. From the beginning his life had been forfeit, he knew that already. His hands were steady, even with that knowledge.

At last, that girls signal, he smiled despite himself. The wind wiping around them as the building became to tear itself around them as readied the blade in his hand.

It was time at last, and so his other self acted first.

_The ruins of our world_

"What's the plan?"

The Lancer sounded breathless; he had followed orders faithfully without question. In front of the White Knight, the girl wrapped in blue held her ground like there was a line etched in the earth that she would not cross.

Even to himself, that man did not want to admit defeat. But even he felt it was a hopeless battle.

And then last piece arrived.

Her blonde hair shifted slightly in the wind as landed gracefully on the battlefield. Her eyes flickered briefly as a cry interrupted the battlefield.

"Arthur…!" A girl's voice is screaming out, the White Knight looks distracted for a moment, even the Lancer's eyes flickered for a moment but there was no time. She was coming again.

"We need only pin her down for a moment"

It sounded like she had a plan. She spoke softly in a commanding voice, the Lancer didn't even bother to respond, and he was already running his spear held firmly in his hands.

The Lancer threw his lance into the broken ground, it seemed almost like it had missed before it exploded into a thousand violent barbs.

The White knight hesitated for a moment, but he held firm to his convictions, blocking out that frantic calling voice.

_Whenever she is raging she takes life away_

It looked almost like she wanted to be brighter than the sky, dancing under the moonlight like a wayward dove. Is it true? That a bird that has lived in a cage will never know true love?

Is it just a fairytale they hold onto, until the end of their days?

What is love? That is what that woman was thinking. She had locked away her heart so very long ago, but now everything was spilling out with each breath she took. Like the pathos to her soul was open to the world, crying out in a weak voice.

_Haven't you seen?_

Do you believe in dreams?

What is it that you desire?

Are you in love?

I don't even know what love is. That is what I thought. But for a moment those thoughts had stopped. Clashing against each other, this repeated pattern reveals itself. Is this not in some form…love?

Isn't it true then, that I love this person?

Her eyes seem almost like they are crying. As I stare back at them.

_Haven't you seen?_

"EXCALIBUR"

The twin voices scream out in union as the swords of promise and victory cut through the noise. On either side the light rips through the darkness and tears into the princess's body, ripping apart her where she stood trapped by those blood red barbs.

In the aftermath there was just a broken stained torso standing like a noble tower surrounded by thorns.

_The ruins of our world_

This heart screams out again, in a flash I am at her throat. I could kill her again and again, repeat this for all eternity. Until I am satisfied with this disgusting ending; until my life burns out. But that is not what his wish was. This is not what my wish was.

I don't even remember what it was anymore…isn't that sad?

"…Arcueid?"

I embrace that broken form with my body, holding her tight. I just want to stay like this for a little while, even as I scream out with all my might.

The girl on the rooftop must have understood. As the dagger pierced the ground and severed the connection with the earth, it screamed almost as it was struck. And then the jeweled blade of light came crashing down.


	34. Chapter 33 Convergances III

**Chapter 33 Convergences, Part III**

_A miracle is a moment in time that should never have happened, but did anyways. I want to believe then, that everything has happened for a reason…that every moment from the beginning has been and always will be a miracle._

**Last World**

_Why is it, that when I am alone my mind turns to that dark place I want to just forget. A moments peace, from my own darkness…can't I be granted that small respite? Or shall I just return back to the dust._

This place is full of stars.

The world around me is falling apart, but here I am just standing in place watching the stars make their final rotation. The last slow dance to a sad song briefly playing in the brightly lit night sky, everything will be over soon.

Affixed lights falling from their places, like droplets of light, here in the darkness I know myself but I can't leave until I see the ending. I wonder what is wrong with me.

The sky cracks revealing a brilliant blue light, the shattered pieces falling apart like large shards of glass and crashing to the floor. Broken lines across my reflection stare back at me in the shattered pieces.

A nightingale in a golden cage, I don't know my own heart.

"…_Don't you understand? No one wishes to go on…_"

She falls with grace from the ether. Like an angel come from the stars, the glittering shards of glass are falling in slow motion around her, slowly revolving on themselves. Stepping into my solitary painted world…

_Love will return, to the dim fading light of our souls._

**Prime World**

The knight in blue looked down at her hands, fading away like dry sand on a beach in a light summer breeze. She smiled softly as the motes rose into the sky. It was a bittersweet farewell, the deed had been done, the hard fought battle had been won, but in the end it was just a fleeting moment.

The White Knight watched her go, it was strange for him to know what she was, who she was. The silence was interrupted by a comment from the ragged breathing of the Lancer who had propped himself up on his blood-red lance.

"Man, you look better as a girl" A smiling remark, before the Lancer collapsed.

He turned away ignoring that man, his attention was on that girl. She was there standing, waiting for him. Tentatively taking steps forward, unsure of what to say, but she didn't need to say anything to him.

_Here we are with our toes dipped in the placid ocean water, taking the first steps into the deep. And here we are, with the knowledge that one day this path before us will be a raging tempest, which might seek to claim us._

_Waiting on the edge, trapped in this wide room of uncreated night. Here in this womb, not yet given birth to a perfect dawn. Unable to pull back from the brink of uncertainty, here in this moment there is only this._

_And now the wave comes crashing down._

**Nyx World**

It is dark now. Not even that, there is no light to contrast this place, it is simply endless emptiness. A blindingly infinite expanse, to calculate its distance is impossible. Around me are the discarded husks of what used to be, now nothing more than empty shells. Like insects, they have died leaving up dried remains of what once was.

Only I am left here, in this castle that is being encroached on by the sweeping dark.

I feel nothing but hollowness inside; my possessions have all faded into the coming shadow. Only I linger and remain, like a lone flickering candle against an endless night.

All at once he arrived, an unannounced guest. The harbinger of the end, come to bring this world to its end. Only I am left here, alone at the end of things. No, that is not quite correct…

The wall cracks under his weight as reality shifts and tears itself apart, the great white dog roars and the remains of reality shiver at his feet. Answering to his master's call even when everything should have faltered, this faithful servant was all I have left. I could leave this place if I wanted to.

But this is my house.

"Leave before I kick you out myself!"

I don't like uninvited guests.

**Prime World**

The smoke cleared slowly; there was nothing but an open wound across the surface of the ground where they once stood. Even the air had burned away, the earth was fused into a solid charred face, like pure obsidian exposed to the world.

Atop the broken tower, the raven haired girl lay bleeding out. She didn't even try to hold in her last breaths, taking them now through gritted teeth.

"Speak but don't pretend, I already know that this is the end" The Archer spoke down to her as he slowly faded away. She smiled a little at his candid nature, a curt nod and then he was gone.

In the end, she didn't even say what she wanted to say. She felt like she should feel sad, but there was no time now, and surely she would be joining him soon.

Across from her on the rooftop, she could see his tired face. His eyes were closed, his body broken. We bet everything on this moment. It is a little unfortunate then that we cannot witness the ending. Still, I don't regret any of this. With a small pained smile the raven haired girl closed her eyes for the last time.

_This was our last best chance, our last hope at a future. I hope that we bet our all on the right choice._

_I hope that this was the right decision._

_We were going to die here, you and I, we both knew that and still we stood side by side at the end. I don't regret that._

A thousand lights in the sky; each beating to the sound of an eternal dream, and then they began to fall to the earth like comets. Where they fell there was no smoke, there was no ruined image cut into the ground, instead people stood staring up at the darkened sky. Hundreds of falling souls, like angels dropping from the heavens, touched down.

There was silence now, atop that broken tower. A girl, stood there now, having appeared moments before. She stared down now, at the dead girl lying ruined across the rooftop. The wind blew softly, as she looked down at her other self. Silence still, and then she was gone, stepped off from the edge and flying through the air.

Across the face of the world, a thousand ignited souls began to blaze. And the world shook as they called upon ancient names, and destruction reigned anew.

_Someday, look back_

My name is Inanna; it is not a name that I chose. It is not a possession that can be thrown away; it is not an object to hold onto. Identity, who am I? I am Inanna, that is my name, but that is not who I am.

I am a wanderer, lost and unaware, terrified of this lightning storm outside my door. I am a child, unable to cope with the silent darkness beneath my bed. I am a girl, unable to come to grips with the guilt that I bare. I am innocent, but I am at fault, for accepting that heartfelt wish.

I bear witness; that is my role. To return something that was once given.

_On a, young day_

Someone was screaming, but I couldn't hear the words they said. Too many things in the span of a moment had moved from their places. Echoes of the past fighting for a future in the sky, and still the flashing comets of light fell to the earth.

_We shared, we learned_

"Nayenezgani!" a voice rose above the rest. In the distance a man stood, firing lightning from a bow. At his side, his brother stood tall.

_We had, we lost_

The weight of the shockwave sent me flying. I hit the side of the building hard, I could feel my bones quiver and shake, but they did not break. I don't have the time to be laying in the ground bleeding; I pick myself up off the ground. Everything is chaos around me; I can't even see where everything has gone. I am alone again.

Everything hurt, this pounding in my head would not abate, blood swelling towards punctured skin. Somewhere in the endless expanse I heard her call, in a quiet voice.

"Nadeshiko…?" I look up at the sky, here at the end of things we might finally meet, me and her.

"Where are you?" I call out, but there is no answer.

I never expected there to be an answer, she does not know me. Still, I have so much to say, to be so close now and yet so far is infuriating.

I don't want to be just an observer.

_Because you know_

My name is Inanna; I am a daughter of madness. I am born of a wish, to return that which was lost. My life is forfeit; that was the price that was paid. The cast from which we bore form is set in stone. I don't care about that; I abandoned my future when I ran from that place.

We who were born from her immortal soul cannot know another mother. We are her children; there will be no others that shall follow us.

_Tomorrow had another plan_

Crushed against the wall, broken and dying, I looked down at myself. Her eyes barely registered and she looked up at me. And then the faintest of a smile on her face as she spoke, even though she should not have been able.

"Do you answer the call sister?"

_Because we lose_

"Yes"

In the end, that has always been how this will end. We will return to that from which we sprang, and hope that we may see a tomorrow that might never come.

Her eyes closed now, content maybe with that end perhaps. But I still function; I still bear witness to this reality.

I still exist.

_The future is all we have left_

Whatever lost dreamers might still walk this world with me, I hope then that this is not wrong to wish for. That we that have come and faltered, we who have abandoned and lost, and we who have loved and been made whole…

I want to believe that these lives held some sort of purpose. That we were not all born just to be wasted, I want to believe even after everything we will be remembered.

I want to believe in that mother who told us stories as children.

In the end, that is all we have left to return. This broken vessel is called home.

_Love will return, to the dim fading light of our souls._

_One pain, one hope_

**Anomaly Root**

Is it over?

I dare to ask myself that question; in the blackness I can hear the pounding of a heartbeat. Is it mine?

I don't have an answer to that.

I just have these lingering questions left to me. I can see him now, even though my eyes as blurred by tears. He is standing now; even though his legs should have given out, even though he should have nothing left…still he stood.

How can he still continue?

Not like this, this isn't how it was supposed to happen.

"I failed didn't I?"

His voice breaks my heart again. It should already have been shattered but I feel one last piece snap, one last cog in the machine faltering.

We failed.

Is this a happy ending?

No.

I wanted to believe my heart was resolved to see this ending. But even a mind of steel and iron could not cope with the vision before my eyes. That weeping man; who looked like his world had been torn apart, and that dead girl; on the floor whose world had just ended.

And I, who just stood there and bore witness.

_Too far, so close_

The overflowing memories are threatening the edges of my sanity. I can't even think anymore. There is just here face there now, that smiling face I swore I would protect even though I couldn't.

I said I would be there didn't I?

Who the fuck do I think I am to make that promise?

_We laugh, we cry_

A promise I broke.

I was scared; beyond my limits is something foreign and new. I want to reach out and grasp it, but this intangible doubt still lingers at the back of my mind.

…why do you look so sad?

_We live, we grow_

Why am I here, doing nothing. The knife that he held has fallen to the ground, the knife I gave him. The tool through which he ended everything, is this the justification I reached? I who could not end it…

_Because…_

In this moment we are strangers. You who are consumed by your grief, and I by my guilt, but we have the same goal you and I.

We have the same wish.

_Because we know the future is all we have left_

If it is not enough, then take my life, take my soul. Take everything away from me, I don't need it anymore.

Take back the day, we said goodbye.

I can't hold onto these regrets.

You don't love me, but I love you. That is enough in this moment to understand…

For love I will do anything.

_One day, somewhere_

**Genesis**

_Hold on, somewhere_

With hope her soul was forged by his hands, something that was made from nothing. To be born into a world innocent was his intent, but like all good intentions his bore ill to a curse.

With love she forged a vessel, something to house that wayward newborn soul. She used her own immortal soul to create an impossible future. Out love she bore witness to miracle, even after countless failures.

_We stand, we leap_

That was their wish.

_We fall, we go_

Two parts of a single desire, but the miracle is still incomplete.

_Because you know_

Out of the endless possibilities, tragedy continues to repeat itself. As the shattered seeds of her soul bear children that scatter into the winds of the universe, a final purpose not yet understood.

_Tomorrow plays another hand_

…the girl's design is flawless, this was her final masterpiece. It was all for that child after all, now all that is left is to set the pieces into motion.

_Because we lose_

Then that child can decide for herself, what kind of future she wishes for.

_The future is all we have left_

**Throne World**

My earliest memory was being told a story about a boy who would be a hero and a girl who was consumed by darkness.

Mother loved telling that story.

But I would always fall asleep before she reached the end.

She told us to love our sisters more than we love ourselves, but in truth, I think we all loved her more than any other. We grew up in the shadow of that distant father, he who could not comprehend our emotions. So that is why it was so painful when she was gone, because we knew that it was our birth that was her end.

We, who were born on wings of death, take flight into this ugly yet beautiful world.

Father does not know, he cannot know for he does not even understand thought anymore. His will, it will continue until all is smote into ruin. His voice will echo in his empty halls and reach deafened ears of the thoughtless and the fake, like statues they stand, like sheep they follow.

But we have purpose, even if others have strayed from the path. Even if we run forever, even if a thousand years of darkness is what awaits us. We will walk all of eternity in search of her.

_We have someday_

We will convey those words that could not be spoken…

…For our sister not yet born.

_Surely someday_

"_Nadeshiko"_

_Surely someday_

Forgive us for the choice you must bear. The last thoughts we all shared before we ran into the chaos.


End file.
